LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Gl  FT    OF 


Class 


9.V.W,fS*& 


GENERAL  AGENTS: 
COLBY   &,    RICH,    9    BOSWORTH    STREET,    BOSTON. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1889,  by 

AMELIA   GREENWOOD, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


COPYRIGHT,  1892,  BY  CARLYLE  PETERSILEA. 


Presswork  and  Binding  by 
F.  H.  GILSON  COMPANY,  BOSTON,  MASS. 


183102 


*> 

OF  THE      "        A 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

I. 

HERFRONZO. 

HAD  passed  the  meridian  of  my  life,  and  was  fast  verging 
toward  the  twilight  of  age.  I  had  never  been  a  success 
ful  or  a  rich  man,  and  to  be  happy  was  to  me  but  the 
vagaries  of  a  dream.  Toil  and  sorrow  was  the  sauce  which 
I  took  with  my  daily  bread.  I  knew  no  other.  I  married 
twice,  but  never  understood  the  meaning  of  conjugal  love; 
neither  of  my  wives  gave  me  but  very  little  comfort.  Children 
were  born  to  me;  I  loved  them  after  a  fashion,  but  knew  not 
how  to  make  them  happy,  and  now  my  life  was  nearing  its 
close.  I  had  never  been  happy  myself,  I  had  never  made 
others  happy,  very  few  loved  me,  I  had  never  been  loved,  so 
I  thought ;  yet  with  all  my  unhappiness  I  had  always  been  a 
deep  thinker  and  this  part  of  my  being  was  my  actual  life. 
I  had  studied  for  the  ministry  in  my  youth,  but  the  more  I 
studied  and  thought  about  creeds  and  the  life  after  death,  as 
preached  by  the  clergy,  the  less  I  believed  and  the  more  un 
fitted  I  became  to  teach  others  that  which  I  could  not  accept 
myself.  So  I  gave  it  up  in  despair  and  turned  my  attention 
to  music.  This,  at  least,  I  could  conscientiously  follow  as  a 


2  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

profession,  and  it  would  not  trammel  or  interfere  with  the 
flight  of  thought ;  it  bound  me  to  no  creed  and  I  loved  music 
for  its  own  sake,  it  carried  and  aided  my  thought  with  its 
inspiring  wings ;  yet  after  all,  music  should  not  have  been  my 
forte,  nature  had  intended  me  for  a  profound  thinker,  and  I 
should  have  been  a  philosophical  writer,  but  like  many  others 
I  mistook  my  calling,  was  never  happy,  nothing  fitted  me ;  I 
wondered  if  after  all  there  really  was  a  life  beyond  the  tomb? 

I  had  about  come  to  the  conclusion  that  death  ended  all, 
that  we  were  born  to  a  world  of  toil  and  trouble,  and  death 
took  us  off  the  weary  stage  of  life  forever ;  and  I  now  know 
that  this  is  the  experience  of  the  greater  part  of  humanity. 
If  I  could  have  known  then  a  small  part  of  what  I  now  know 
my  life  on  earth  would  have  been  to  me  a  pleasure  instead 
of  pain,  and  it  is  to  tell  others  a  little  of  that  which  I  now 
know  that  I  write  this  book. 

I  desire  to  benefit  humanity,  to  make  them  wiser,  better 
and  happier ;  absolute  truth  can  do  no  harm  under  any  cir 
cumstances,  and  whoever  reads  this  book  may  know  positively 
that  it  contains  nothing  but  the  truth,  although  written  by 
the  hand  of  a  so-called  dead  man,  one  that  ought,  according 
to  the  Church  creeds,  the  creeds  that  he  spent  years  of  his 
life  in  studying,  one  that  ought,  according  to  all  this,  have 
been  banished  into  hell  with  the  devil  for  his  master  and 
burning  fiends  with  gnashing  teeth  for  his  companions. 

How  sad;  oh !  how  sad  it  is,  that  man,  who  should  be 
crowned  with  wisdom,can  for  one  moment,  countenance  such 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  3 

folly.  That  it  should  be  taught  to  little  innocent  children 
with  plastic  minds  and  souls  ready  to  receive  truthful  im 
pressions  which  would  make  their  lives  a  pleasure  to  them 
instead  of  a  miserable  failure  as  mine  was  and  thousands  of 
others  are.  On  the  other  hand  they  are  taught  that  if  they 
believe  in  a  person  called  Christ,  he  will  wash  away  their 
sins  although  they  be  as  black  as  night,  and  when  they  die 
they  will  go  to  a  place  called  heaven,  far  beyond  the  stars 
and  spend  an  eternity  praising  a  being  called  God.  But 
whether  hell  is  beyond  the  stars  or  not,they  are  not  informed. 
It  is  information  on  these  points  that  man  most  needs  at  the 
present  time.  He  wants  to  know  positively  whether  he  is 
immortal  or  not?  and  for  this  knowledge  many  would  give 
every  drop  of  blood  they  have  in  their  bodies. 

Man  has  now  reached  that  point  in  his  earthly  career, 
when  he  can  no  longer  believe  in  the  heaven  or  hell  as  just 
depicted;  when  he  must  know  something  more  truthful  and 
better,or  settle  down  under  the  conviction  that  death  ends  all. 
But  on  one  point  the  Church  with  all  its  error  is  right.  Man 
is  an  immortal  being,  as  I  now  know  by  actual  experience 
and  as  I  hope  to  prove  to  those,yet  in  the  body,  that  read  this 
book,  before  I  have  done  with  the  writing  of  it,  and  it  is  my 
actual  experience  after  the  dissolution  of  the  body,  that 
I  now  propose  to  give  to  the  world. 


II. 

DEATH. 

length,  I  found  myself  on  a  sick  bed  ;  my  friends  all 
said  that  I  must  die,  and  I,  too,  felt  that  my  hours  on 
earth  were  numbered.     Some  of  my  friends  urged  me 
to  have  prayers  and  get  a  change  of  heart,  have  my  sins  for 
given,  so  that  I  might  be  able  to  squeeze  into  heaven  at  the 
last  moment,  but,  although  I  knew  not  what  awaited  me  in 
the  great  unknown  future— if  indeed  there  was  a  future— I 
was  not  mean  enough  to  try  to  enter  heaven,  after  this,  as  it 
seemed  to  me,  sneaking  fashion.     If  I  did  not  deserve  heaven, 
I  would  not  try  to  get  in  through  the  merits  of  another  per 
son.     If  Jesus  merited  heaven,  let  him  enjoy  it.     If  I  did  not, 
then  let  me  go  to  hell,  if  there  was  one,  which  I  very  much 
doubted,  and  if  there  was  no  hell,  then  of  course  the  blood 
of  Christ  was  not  needed  and  prayers  would  be  of  no  avail 
and  Jesus  could  be  no  other  than  a  very  good  man,  for  the 
idea  that   man  was  saved  through  Jesus   Christ   depended 
entirely  on  the  belief  that  there  existed  a  hell  and  a  devil.    So 
I  concluded  to  let  matters  take  care  of  themselves  and  if  there 
was  a  life  after  the  death  of  the  body  I  would  take  my  chances 
with  millions  of  others  that  had  gone  before,  and  in  this  frame 
of  mind  I  composed  myself  to  meet  the  great  unknown,  and 
so  passed  out  of  my  body,  and  if  all  I  now  have  to  tell  seems 
like  some  fairy  tale,  believe  me  that  it  is  true  as  it  is  beautiful. 
My  eyes  closed  to  all  things  pertaining  to   earth.     The 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  5 

senses  of  my  material  covering  were  dead,  and  for  a  short 
time  I  was  at  rest,  like  one  that  is  sleeping,  then  there  was  a 
gradual  awakening  of  the  spirit. 

I  felt  myself  supported  by  an  angel,  a  form  on  either  side 
of  me.  The  angel  seemed  to  be  moving  with  considerable 
swiftness,  supporting  and  half  carrying  me  beneath  my  arms. 
I  felt  currents  of  air  strike  my  face  like  the  dash  of  cool,  soft 
spray,  and  my  eyes  flew  wide  open.  My  first  thought  was 
one  of  questioning  curiosity  and  I  turned  my  gaze  full  upon 
the  form  at  my  right  and  then  to  the  one  on  my  left.  The 
angel  did  not  appear  to  be  looking  at  me,  or  taking  notice  of 
my  questioning  gaze,  but  was  looking  straight  ahead  with 
eyes  turned  a  little  upward,  and  I  found  that  we  were  moving 
forward,  always  inclining  upward,  not  in  a  perpendicular  line. 
I  cast  my  eyes  downward  and  I  saw  the  dark  shadow  of  a 
vast  globe  which  was  fast  receding  from  my  view.  I  exper 
ienced  a  sensation  of  great  relief  as  it  disappeared  entirely 
from  my  sight,  a  great  joy  filled  me,  for  I  now  knew  that  I 
was  immortal. 

I  now  turned  my  eyes  in  the  same  direction  that  the 
angel  was  looking.  I  did  not  feel  like  questioning  the  angel, 
but  greatly  desired  to  find  out  things  for  myself  and  did  not 
wish  to  talk.  The  angel  seemed  to  understand  me  perfectly 
and  entire  silence  reigned  supreme.  As  I  looked,!  saw  in  the 
distance  a  sparkling  city  which  we  were  rapidly  approaching ; 
soon,  a  great  extent  of  country  burst  upon  my  sight  and  it 
was  a  glorious  world  of  heavenly  beauty.  Cities,"  towns 


6  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

villages,  scattered  homes,  trees,  forests,  shrubs,  flowers, 
rivers,  lakes,  seas  and  an  ocean.  Rivulets,  ponds,  mountains, 
hills,  valleys,  glens,  meadows,  green  lawns ;  but  no  fences, 
no  manufactories,  no  death  or  decay  of  any  kind. 

Presently,  the  angel  paused  before  a  golden  arch.  The 
keystone  of  the  arch  appeared  to  be  an  immense  magnificent 
diamond  and  the  word  Wisdom  blazed  within  it.  On  either 
side  of  the  arch,  two  forms  appeared  with  hands  clasped  above 
the  keystone,  each  wore  a  golden  crown  and  set  within  the 
crowns  in  sparkling  diamonds;  upon  the  one, the  word  Love, 
and  upon  the  other,  Truth. 

I  gazed  at  this  magnificent  archway  and  understood  its 
meaning.  Wisdom,  Love  and  Truth ;  these  were  the  only 
methods  whereby  one  could  enter  into  perfect  happiness  and 
never  by  the  blood  of  any  Christ. 

My  mind  was  now  set  at  rest  on  two  important  questions, 
immortality  and  being  saved  from  hell  through  Jesus  Christ. 
The  angel  now  glided  with  me  through  the  archway  and  I 
felt  that  my  new  and  spiritual  life  had  commenced  in  earnest 
and  those  three  words  kept  ringing,  ringing  within  my  soul, 
Wisdom,  Love  and  Truth;  these  I  must  attain  before  I 
could  be  happy,  before  I  could  even  enjoy  all  this  beautiful 
world  which  was  spread  out  before  my  enraptured  vision,  but 
for  the  present  I  was  a  stranger  in  a  new  and  strange 
world,although  so  gloriously  beautiful,  yet  I  was  not  fitted  to 
enjoy  it ;  the  angel  that  escorted  me  was  too  far  above  and 
beyond  me,  to  be  in  any  light,  a  companion  for  me.  I  felt 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  7 

heavy  and  weary  and  longed  for  rest.  The  habits  of  earth 
life  were  yet  strong  within  me.  I  wanted  a  home  and  a  loving 
companion  ;  one  not  so  bright  as  the  angel  that  was  with  me, 
but  one  through  whom  I  could  learn  by  easy  stages,  and  as 
these  wishes  and  thoughts  shaped  themselves  within  me  the 
angel  smiled  sweetly  and  we  paused  before  the  door  of  a  lovely 
little  cottage,  nestled  down  in  a  wild  and  secluded  glen.  A 
rustic  easy  chair  stood  near  the  door  of  the  cottage,  the  angel 
led  me  to  this  chair  and  I  sunk  into  it  with  a  sigh  of  restful 
satisfaction.  The  angel  gave  me  a  long  searching  gaze,  then 
waving  an  adieu  with  their  white  hands,  slowly  disappeared 
from  my  view. 

I  leaned  my  head  back,  closed  my  eyes  and  gradually 
my  powers  of  thought  and  observation  gathered  themselves 
together  as  I  thus  rested.  How  long  I  sat  there  I  am  unable 
to  say ;  but  when  I  again  opened  my  eyes,  a  feeling  of  intense 
happiness  ran  through  all  my  being.  Oh,  joy  !  joy  !  I  had 
passed  through  that  weary  dark  shadow  called  death,  that  all 
human  beings  fear  and  dread,  and  here  I  was,  safely  landed 
on  the  other  shore  of  life,  and  of  course  I  knew  that  eternity 
rolled  on  forever  before  me. 

Now  thought  I,  there  is  no  hurry,  I  am  not  pressed  for 
time,  time  is  now  nothing  to  me,  my  thought  need  not  leave 
any  subject  until  I  understand  it  thoroughly,  and  as  I  rested 
and  thought,  my  eyes  began  to  rove  around  the  beautiful  glen. 
I  wanted  to  examine  everything  closely  and  find  out  all  about 
this  new  world  in  which  I  found  myself. 


III. 

THE  GLEN. 

glen  was  apparently,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide  by 
three-quarters  long.  At  the  back  of  the  cottage  moun 
tains  appeared  and  a  small  cataract  leaped  from  rock  to 
rock,  ending  in  a  purling  and  sparkling  stream  of  water  that 
wound  itself  in  and  out  about  the  glen  and  then  disappeared 
at  the  further  end.  There  were  rocks,  trees  and  shrubs  of 
various  kinds,  trailing  vines  and  beautiful  wild-flowers ;  a  blue 
and  etherial  sky  and  fleecy  white  clouds.  A  little  winding 
path  ran  into  the  glen  and  up  to  the  door  of  the  cottage. 

A  restful,  home-like  feeling  penetrated  through  all  my 
soul,  and  I  thought,  this  looks  almost  like  the  earth  I  have 
just  left,  and  yet  I  know  all  this  which  I  see  before  me  is 
not  real  material  substance,  and  as  I  gaze  I  find  it  lacks  all 
the  coarseness  and  imperfections  of  earthly  things.  There 
is  not  one  dead  or  decaying  leaf  in  all  this  beautiful  foliage, 
not  a  single  imperfect  tree.  Every  flower  is  perfect ,  bright 
and  exquisitely  lovely.  This  cottage  is  the  most  beautiful  and 
graceful  thing  imaginable,  and  this  chair  the  most  easy  and 
restful. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  9 

Again  I  closed  my  eyes,  and  when  I  opened  them,  a  great 
dog  stood  with  wagging  tail,  resting  his  nose  lovingly  across 
my  knee  and  gazing  into  my  face  with  soft,  intelligent  eyes. 
A  dog!  Could  it  be  possible  that  dogs  were  immortal? 
Great  Caesar !  In  the  wildest  flights  that  my  imagination  had 
ever  taken,  this  thought  had  never  crossed  my  mind  before. 
But  the  dog  was  unmistakable;  it  was  no  creation  of  my 
fancy,  for  he  was  intelligent  and  had  a  will  of  his  own  as  I 
soon  found  out.  I  laid  my  hand  caressingly  upon  his  head, 
I  patted  him  on  the  back,  he  wagged  his  tail  violently  and 
whined  fawningly.  I  felt  something  rubbing  against  my  legs, 
and  looking  down  I  saw  a  beautiful  cat,  rubbing  her  soft 
sides  against  me  and  purring  gently.  Still  more  astonished, 
I  heard  a  little  bird  twittering  in  a  tree  near  by,  and  looking 
up  I  saw  many  birds  flying  around  among  the  trees.  So,  I 
thought,  birds  and  animals  are  immortal  as  well  as  myself. 

Oh,  what  happiness !  How  could  I  part  with  such 
creatures  that  I  had  been  familiar  with  during  all  my  earth 
life  ?  How  satisfied  I  felt  with  the  truth  as  I  found  it. 

The  dog  pulled  at  my  sleeve,  softly,  as  though  to  ask  me 
to  take  a  stroll,  and  I  arose  to  my  feet ;  how  light  I  felt.  I 
seemed  to  glide,  rather  than  walk,  in  whatever  direction  I 
wished  to  go.  I  noticed  a  beautiful  spot  not  far  distant, 
where  the  water  lay,  deep  and  placid, in  a  shining  pool,  and 
to  this  spot  my  mind  carried  my  aerial  body. 

The  bank  was  green  and  mossy,  and  I  reclined  thereon. 
The  dog  bounded  and  frolicked  about  me.  A  couple  of 


-10  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

beautiful  birds  perched  in  a  drooping  willow  just  above  my 
head  and  sung  sweetly  to  each  other.  Now  I  will  try  and 
understand  how  all  these  things  are,  I  thought.  They  do 
not  seem  like  earthly  things,  and  yet  they  look  like  them, 
only  so  much  more  exquisite  and  beautiful  that  I  can  hardly 
make  a  comparison.  I  wanted  to  examine  everything 
minutely  and  discover  just  how  this  beautiful  world  was 
made.  I  looked  down  upon  the  ground  and  saw  a  number 
of  insects  and  worms  similar  to  those  of  earth.  I  glanced 
into  the  water,  a  speckled  trout  and  a  few  minims  met  my 
gaze.  A  mosquito  and  a  fly,  or  two,  buzzed  about  me  but  did 
not  bite  or  sting  me.  At  sight  of  these  smaller  creatures  I 
laughed  outright.  It  had  surprised  me  very  much  to  find 
that  dogs  were  immortal,  but  when  it  came  to  fishes,  flies 
and  worms, the  idea  was  too  ridiculous.  I  laughed  and  brush 
ed  my  hand  across  my  eyes  to  see  if  I  could  not  brush  the 
cobwebs  out  of  them,  but  I  could  not,  there  the  things  were 
as  plain  as  the  nose  on  a  man's  face. 

I  heard  a  rustling  sound  and  looking  up  I  saw  a  deer 
peeping  shyly  at  me  through  the  bushes  across  the  pool. 
Gazing  upward  I  saw  an  eagle  soaring  aloft  over  the  crest  of 
the  nearest  mountain,  and  as  my  gaze  wandered  over  the 
sides  of  the  mountains  I  could  perceive  various  wild  animals 
roaming  among  the  trees.  I  was  greatly  puzzled.  I  never 
had  any  distinct  idea  how  heaven  ought  to  be  and  so  was 
entirely  unprepared  for  heaven  as  it  really  was.  But,  then, 
why  not?  It  is  far  more  natural  and  reasonable  than  the 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  n 

heaven  they  used  to  tell  me  about  when  I  was  a  child,  and 
the  hell  with  which  they  used  to  frighten  me. 

The  heaven  was  a  very  shining  and  select  place,  the 
streets  were  paved  with  gold,  there  was  nothing  there  but  a 
few  angels  clothed  in  white,  and  a  great  white  throne  with 
God  seated  upon  it  as  a  judge,  and  Jesus  Christ  at  his  right 
hand,  also  four  and  twenty  elders — oh,  yes,  I  forgot — and 
some  beasts.  Well,  then  the  idea  was  not  so  new  after  all? 
there  were  beasts  in  that  heaven  which  they  used  to  tell  me 
about  and  they  were  bowing  before  the  throne  of  God,  and 
thus  thinking  I  looked  at  the  animals  more  complacently. 
Well,  if  they  allowed  beasts  in  that  shining,  golden  heaven, 
surely  they  could  not  be  out  of  place  in  this  spiritual  glen,  and 
and  as  the  creatures  were  actually  there  I  had  to  give  up  the 
point,  "and  those  that  were  burning  in  hell  were  also  stung  by 
scorpions."  So,  then  the  idea  that  scorpions  were  immortal 
was  not  so  new  after  all,  and  I  concluded  that  the  little  worms 
before  me,  had  just  as  good  a  right  to  immortality  as  the 
scorpions  inhell.  These  gnats  and  worms  did  not  sting  as  the 
scorpions  did,  and  therefore  I  thought  they  had  the  best  of  it. 

I  reached  forth  my  hand  and  tried  to  break  a  twig  from 
one  of  the  trees,  but  could  not ;  I  tried  in  every  way  to  break 
off  leaves  and  branches  wherever  I  saw  them,  but  could  not 
break  or  destroy  a  single  twig,  leaf  or  flower ;  they  remained 
precisely  as  they  were  before,  defying  all  my  efforts,  and  I 
found  that  the  substance  out  of  which  they  were  composed 
was  not  material  in  any  sense  of  the  word  but  entirely 


1 2  THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y. 

spiritual  and  imperishable.  I  tried  to  crush  the  little  insects 
and  crawling  worms,  but  could  not,  they  remained  entirely 
unhurt  and  were  as  imperishable  as  the  rest.  The  dog  came 
to  me  and  I  thought  I  would  choke  it,  just  to  see  if  that  too 
could  not  be  hurt ;  I  choked  away  to  my  heart's  content,  but 
the  dog  remained  just  the  same  good  natured,  jovial  fellow 
as  ever ;  he  could  not  be  strangled  or  killed,  so  I  arrived  by 
successive  stages  to  the  fact  that  everything  which  I  saw  was 
spiritual  and  imperishable  the  same  as  I  now  knew  myself 
to  be. 

I  examined  the  rocks  and  tried  with  a  little  stone  to  chip 
them,  but  could  make  no  impression  upon  them  whatever ; 
they  were  as  spiritual  as  the  rest.  I  tried  with  my  fingers  to 
dig  in  the  ground,  but  could  not.  I  tried  to  pluck  the  moss, 
but  could  not ;  and  now  I  bethought  me  of  the  water.  I 
went  down  to  the  edge  of  the  pool  and  with  my  hand  scooped 
up  some  water. 

Ah,  here  was  something  at  last !  The  water  yielded.  My 
hand  was  full  of  the  sparkling  drops.  Instinctively,!  carried 
it  to  my  mouth,  and  thus  drank  my  fill. 

Oh,  how  cool !  How  refreshing !  How  exhilerating !  It 
seemed  as  though  I  could  never  get  enough.  But  at  length, 
for  a  time  at  least,  I  ceased  to  quaff  this  refreshing  nectar. 

But  the  water  still  enticed  me.  I  thought  I  would  wade 
in  and  take  a  bath.  So  I  stooped  down  to  pull  off  my  shoes 
and  stockings,  but  my  feet  were  entirely  bare.  I  thought  I 
would  remove  my  clothes,  but  could  not  discover  that  I  wore 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  13 

« 

any,  yet,  I  surely  was  not  naked ;  and  as  I  examined  myself 
more  minutely  I  found  that  I  was  covered  by  a  cloud-like 
substance  which  seemed  to  emanate  from  the  interior  of  my 
body  and  thus  surround  me  outwardly. 

I  put  my  hands  to  my  head  to  see  about  my  hair ;  it  was 
long  and  I  took  it  up  in  my  hand;  it  was  dark,  wavy  and 
very  thick,  with  not  a  thread  of  gray  in  the  shining  mass. 


IV. 

THE  MEADOW. 

<T  WADED  out  into  the  deep  water.  I  waded  up  to  my 
Y  neck.  I  plunged  my  head  beneath  the  shining  surface. 
The  dog  came  in  after  me  and  we  frolicked  and  splashed 
for  some  time ;  then,  regaining  the  bank,  I  felt  so  invigorated 
I  thought  I  would  take  a  long  walk. 

A  lovely  meadow,  filled  with  beautiful  flowers,  stretched 
its  inviting  length  before  me ;  and  so,  my  dog  and  I  started 
for  a  walk  across  the  meadow.  The  dog  had  attached  himself 
to  me,  and  seemed  to  own  me  for  his  master.  I  had  not  gone 
far  when  a  fine  cow  raised  her  head  and  looked  at  me  with 
slow  mild  eyes.  I  now  saw  a  number  of  cows  and  bulls,  all 
perfectly  mild  and  harmless.  As  I  went  on,  the  bleating  of 
sheep  attracted  my  attention,  they  were  as  white  as  snow  and 
very  beautiful ;  and  I  thought  of  the  good  shepherd  that 
feedeth  the  sheep ;  and  under  the  circumstances  was  not 
surprised  at  seeing  these  sheep.  Presently,  I  espied  a  man 
seated  on  a  grassy  knoll,  apparently  watching  the  sheep. 
The  dog  bounded  toward  him,  and  I  also  approached  him. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  15 

He  raised  his  eyes  to  my  face  and  they  were  as  bright  and 
shining  as  the  dome  of  heaven.  He  was  clothed  in  a  soft 
flowing  robe  of  palest  grey,  nearly  white.  His  hair  waved 
down  over  his  shoulders  until  it  nearly  touched  the  ground, 
pale  red  in  color.  His  beard,  which  hung  down  on  his  breast, 
was  a  bright  blond,  or  red.  His  form  was  round  and  full. 
His  hands  and  feet  were  bare,  and  he  was  white  and  trans 
parent  as  alabaster.  A  shepherd's  crook  lay  on  the  ground 
by  his  side,  and  a  book  lay  open  on  his  knees,  as  though  he 
had  been  reading.  The  dog  bounded  up  to  him,  manifesting 
the  utmost  delight.  Another  dog  lay  at  the  shepherd's  feet, 
very  much  like  the  one  that  had  accompanied  me.  The 
shepherd  patted  my  dog  upon  the  head,  saying,  in  deep 
musical  voice  and  a  sweet  smile,  "well,  Caesar,  where  have 
you  been  ?  We  have  missed  you  greatly." 

The  dog  turned  his  soft  eyes  to  my  face,  wagging  his  tail, 
then  looked  wistfully  at  his  master,  as  I  now  saw  the 
shepherd  must  be ;  and  these  dogs  were  very  fine  shepherd 
dogs. 

11  Caesar  desires,  very  much,  to  introduce  his  new  found 
friend  to  my  notice,"  said  the  shepherd,  with  his  slow  sweet 
smile,  looking  me  directly  in  the  eyes. 

4 'What  may  I  call  your  name,  sir  ? 

My  name — my  name  ?  Well,  really ;  I  did  not  know  how 
to  answer  him.  I  stammered.  I  think  I  must  have  blushed; 
but  if  I  did  it  was  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  I  had  ever 
blushed  to  own  my  name. 


16  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

Well,  I  said  with  a  deep  sigh,  you  may  call  me  by  whatever 
name  you  think  best.  I  am  a  stranger  in  this  land,  have 
not  been  in  this  country  more  than  an  hour,  and  you 
are  the  first  person  whom  I  have  met.  Perhaps  you  will  not 
be  ashamed  to  own  your  name  ? 

"  A  name  is  of  very  little  importance.  I  have  not  heard 
the  name  by  which  I  was  called  when  I  lived  on  the  earth, 
since  I  came  to  this  world.  My  friends  here  call  me  Voncelora." 

Voncelora?  A  very  pretty  name,  I  said.  I  should  be  very 
happy  sir,  if  you  would  kindly  give  me  a  name.  He  drooped 
his  head  thoughtfully  for  a  moment,  "I  think  we  must  call 
you  Herfronzo,"  he  said,  waving  his  hand  with  careless 
grace.  "And  now,  Herfronzo,  will  you  take  a  seat  here  by 
my  side  and  help  me  partake  of  my  lunch  ?  Meanwhile  we 
will  have  a  little  pleasant  conversation." 

The  dogs  were  gamboling  and  playing  about  the  sheep, 
and  across  the  flower  be-sprinkled  meadow.  I  seated  myself 
in  a  half  reclining  attitude  near  my  new  found  friend.  A 
wide  shepherd  hat  filled  with  his  lunch,  stood  near  him.  He 
placed  it  between  us,  with  his  slow  beautiful  smile,  and 
raising  his  heavenly  eyes,  said,  "help  yourself,  Herfronzo; 
do  not  be  afraid,  there  is  plenty  where  this  came  from, 
and  the  more  you  take  the  better  it  will  be  for  us  both— the 
better  it  will  be  for  all  in  whom  you  are  interested." 

Are  you  thirsty,  Sir  ?"  And  he  drew  from  his  breast 
pocket  a  flask  of  red  wine  and  laid  it  beside  the  hat.  "If  so, 
drink — drink  freely.  You  are  welcome.  I  had  just  begun  to 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY,  17 

feel  a  little  hungry,  wondering  if  spirits  could  eat  as  well  as 
drink,  for  I  had  drunk  from  the  pool  and  therefore  knew  that 
spirits  could  drink. 

I  glanced  into  the  hat  curiously,  to  see  what  manner  of 
food  was  offered  me.  A  few  slices  of  pure  white  bread,  a 
little  fruit,  two  or  three  large  bunches  of  grapes  and  the  flask 
of  red  wine.  I  took  a  slice  of  bread  in  one  hand  and  a  bunch 
of  grapes  in  the  other  and  so  began  to  eat,  very  daintily, 
letting  my  eyes  roam  dreamily,  over  the  flock  of  white  sheep. 
I  did  not  wish  to  hurry  in  the  least,  for  my  reason  told  me  it 
was  not  necessary. 


V. 

GRAPES. 

'ONCELORA   sat  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  his  book. 
Do  these  sheep  belong  to  you  ?     I  asked, simply. 
"They  belong  to  me  in  one  way ;    and  in  another  way 
they  do  not." 

In  what  way,  then,  do  they  belong  to  you  ? 

"They  belong  to  me  by  right  of  the  love  which  exists 
between  us.  In  the  other  way,  they  belong  to  nature  and  to 
nature's  God." 

Why  then  do  I  find  you  here  as  a  shepherd  ? 

"It  is  my  pastime,"  he  answered.  "I  come  to  this  quiet 
spot  often.  The  sheep  hear  my  voice  and  follow  me."  Tak 
ing  up  a  bugle  that  lay  by  the  side  of  his  shepherd's  crook, 
he  blew  a  musical  call  upon  it.  The  sheep  all  raised  their 
heads  and  looked  earnestly  in  our  direction. 

May  I  ask  you,  Voncelora,  the  title  of  the  book  in  which 
you  seem  to  be  so  much  interested  ? 

He  held  the  book  up  before  my  eyes,  and  upon  the  cover 
I  saw  these  words  in  large  golden  letters.  "Pages  from  the 
Book  of  Nature."  From  the  title  I  should  judge  that  to  be 
a  very  interesting  book.  By  whom  was  it  written  ? 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  19 

He  pointed  upward,  then  downward;  he  swept  a  circle 
with  his  finger. 

"The  leaves  of  this  book  were  taken  by  me  from  the 
book  of  Eternal  Ages,"  he  answered.  "There  never  was  a 
beginning ;  there  never  can  be  an  ending."  "I  have  been 
able  to  gather  these  few  leaves  and  put  them  into  a  conveni 
ent  form,  that  I  might  fetch  them  to  this  quiet  spot  for  medi 
tation. 

But  who  wrote  the  Book  of  Nature  ? 

"It  was  written  by  the  Eternal  Ages,"  and  he  again  swept 
a  circle. 

You  seem  to  be  a  very  wise  man,  Voncelora.  Will  you 
kindly  answer  a  few  questions  that  I  would  like  to  ask  you  ? 

•'I  will  answer  any  question  that  you  desire  to  ask  me 
to  the  best  of  my  ability ;  yet  I  may  not  be  as  wise  as  you 
think  me.  I  am  only  a  simple  shepherd,  and  am  not  versed 
in  any  book,  except  this  book  which  you  see  before  me." 

Before  I  put  my  questions,  however,  I  would  like  to  say 
that  I  am  considerably  astonished  to  find  that  I  am  actually 
immortal.  I  never  could  believe  the  Christian's  religion  as 
taught  by  the  Churches  on  the  earth  which  I  have  just  left, 
and  I  had  nearly  come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was 
no  life  after  the  death  of  the  body.  Finding  now,  that  I  was 
mistaken,  and  this  world  so  entirely  different  from  any  pre 
conceived  ideas — so  entirely  different  from  the  teachings  of 
the  Christian  churches,  I  feel  that  I  am  extremely  ignorant. 
I  cannot  even  understand  how  it  is,  that  these  things  exist 


20  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

which  I  see  around  me ;   water,  earth,  trees  and  animals. 

"Herfronzo,  did  you  understand  how  they  all  existed  on 
the  earth  when  you  were  there  ?  You  must  have  lived  there 
many  years." 

Oh,  yes !     All  things  grow  there. 

"All  things  grow  here"  he  said. 

I  looked  at  him  wonderingly.  But,  Voncelora,  I  did  not 
grow  here. 

"Well,  you  intend  to,  don't  you?"  he  asked  nonchalently. 
"I  think  you  have  grown  considerably  already.  I  do  not 
believe  you  have  ceased  growing  for  one  moment  since  you 
breathed  your  last  on  earth." 

"You  seem  to  be  very  hungry,  and  want  to  ask  a  great 
many  questions,  and  as  all  things  grow  by  being  fed,  so  now 
Herfronzo,  allow  me  to  feed  you,  that  you  may  grow." 

I  laughed.     He  certainly  had  the  best  of  me. 

Where  did  this  spiritual  ground  come  from?  I  asked, 
striking  it  with  my  hand. 

"From  the  earth  you  have  just  left.  Examine  it  more 
closely,  Herfronzo,  and  you  will  discover  that  it  is  attenuated, 
or  spiritualized  matter.  Being  a  spirit  yourself,  it  is  to  you 
now,  as  substantial  as  your  earth  was  when  you  were  in  an 
earthly  body.  It  is  spiritualized  earth  to  spiritualized  man." 

But  the  water,  Voncelora.  How  can  I  account  for  water 
being  here  ? 

"How  do  you  account  for  its  being  on  the  earth  ?" 

Why !    I  said,  I  really  don't  know. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  21 

"Well  then,  I  think  I  have  the  best  of  you  there,  for  I  do 
know  how  the  water  came  to  be  here." 

Well,  how  ?   Voncelora,  tell  me  how  ? 

"It  came  directly  from  your  earth,"  he  answered.  "It  is 
attenuated,  and  spiritualized  to  fit  the  spiritual  man  and  the 
spiritual  earth." 

"Now,  Voncelora;  the  grass,  the  flowers,  the  trees,  the 
shrubbery,  the  mountains? 

"They,  also  came  directly  from  your  earth.  Nothing  pro 
pagates  itself  here  in  this  spiritual  world  ;  there  is  growth  and 
progression,  but  not  propagation.  The  material  earths  are 
the  only  places  where  propagation  takes  place.  But  all 
spiritual  things  have  their  root  in  the  material.  The  grass, 
the  flowers,  the  trees,  the  shrubbery,  come  from  earth.  The 
spirits  of  all  things  that  die  on  earth,  pass  directly  to  that 
earth's  spiritual  spheres,  and  take  their  places  according  to 
natural  law.  That  is  the  true  meaning  of  all  death." 

"Nothing  decays,  nothing  dies  here,  nothing  can  be  injured; 
all  things  grow  more  and  more  beautiful  as  the  ages  roll  on." 

And  the  animals,  Voncelora.  How  is  it  that  I  find  animals 
Acre? 

"Foolish  Herfronzo ;  were  you  not  an  animal  when  you 
were  in  the  material  body  ?  Have  not  other  animals  just  as 
good  a  right  to  exist  as  you  ?  Are  not  my  sheep  just  as 
beautiful  in  their  way  as  you  are,  or  as  I  am  ?  Not  so  intelli 
gent,  perhaps,  but  just  as  necessary  in  the  chain  of  existent 
things  as  either  you  or  I." 


22  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

I  said,  "not  so  intelligent,  but  more  perfect  in  their  way, 
for  do  your  best,  and  you  could  never  make  a  sheep  believe 
in  a  burning  brimstone  hell  and  a  fiery  devil ;  or  the  blood 
of  Christ  washing  away  their  sins." 

"These  sheep  are  white,  but  nature  made  them  so,  and 
not  the  blood  of  Christ." 

Well,  Voncelora,  I  agree  with  you  there,  for  that,  I  never 
could  believe,  even  when  I  was  in  the  earth-life.  But  tell 
me,  dear  Von.,  did  there  ever  exist  such  a  person  as  Jesus 
Christ? 

"Oh,  yes,"  he  answered.  There  did  live  in  the  time  of 
Pontius  Pilate,  a  bright  youth — a  child  of  love,  as  all  children 
should  be— so  harmonious  and  beautiful  in  his  nature,  that 
he  inspired  reverential  awe  in  the  minds  of  those  more 
ignorant  than  he  was.  He  was  a  man,  like  many  others, 
ahead  of  the  time  in  which  he  lived.  A  sensitive  soul  that 
received  impressions  directly  from  the  spiritual  realm ;  and 
he  never  intended  to  convey  the  idea  to  the  people  that  he 
was  anything  more.  All  that,  has  been  added  fictitiously  to 
the  story  of  his  life,  as  Church  and  Priest  desired  for  their 
own  ends  to  make  it  appear — and  the  plan  of  salvation  is  an 
entirely  man-made  plan ;  nature  and  the  spiritual  world  never 
had  anything  to  do  with  it." 

"But  it  must  be  the  work  of  the  Angels  to  clear  and  wipe 
it  out  from  the  earth  for  its  well  being  and  happiness.  For 
truth  is  better  than  error;  wisdom  than  ignorance,  and  love 
than  hate." 


THE  DISCOVERED,  COUNTRY.  23 

We  had  now  finished  our  lunch  and  I  was  greatly  re 
freshed.  One  more  question  dear  Von.  and  I  will  tire  you  no 
longer.  How  did  this  bread  and  fruit  come  into  existence  ? 

"The  spiritual  fruit  exists  on  spiritual  vines  and  trees,  and 
can  be  plucked  to  feed  the  spiritual  man  the  same  as  the 
water  can  be  quaffed  by  him ;  but  they  are  not  diminished 
when  you  eat  and  drink.  The  bread  was  prepared  by  one 
whom  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  introducing  to  you,  shortly." 

He  arose  and  I  followed.  He  went  to  the  edge  of  the 
meadow  where  some  vines  appeared,  and  they  were  filled 
with  purple  grapes.  He  plucked  a  bunch  of  grapes  from  the 
vines,  and  I  watched  him  with  great  curiosity.  He  held  the 
bunch  in  his  hand,  and  yet  it  appeared  on  the  vine  the  same 
as  before. 

"These  grapes  represent  spiritual  truth ;  and  you  cannot 
diminish  truth  by  being  fed  with  it." 

He  put  the  grapes  in  my  hand  and  I  commenced  to  eat 
them,  one  by  one.  There  were  no  seeds  within  them  and  the 
skin  was  merely  a  sweet  waxen  substance  that  melted  away 
within  my  mouth. 

How  is  it,  I  asked,  that  the  grapes  are  not  diminished  by 
plucking  them,  and  they  bear  no  seed  within  them  ? 

"Spiritual  fruit  of  any  kind  does  not  produce  seed.  Seed 
germs  are  left  entirely  in  the  earth-life.  "You  ask  me,  how 
it  is  that  fruit  is  not  diminished  by  the  plucking  ?" 

"Your  fruit  on  the  earth  is  not  diminished  by  the  gather 
ing  of  it.  You  look  surprized,  dear  Herfronzo,  and  well  you 


24  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

may,  for  you  never  thought  of  it  in  that  light  before ;  but 
after  you  have  gathered  your  grapes  in  the  fall,  are  they  not 
on  the  vine  precisely  the  same  the  next  fall  ?  And  so  you 
keep  on  gathering  from  the  fruitful  vine  as  long  as  it 
lives,  and  the  fruit  is  not  diminished  by  the  gathering  of  it 
each  fall." 

Ah,  but  my  dear  Voncelora  ;   it  grows  new  each  year. 

"Very  true,  so  this  spiritual  fruit  grows  new  each  time 
you  pluck  it ;  but  as  we  have  no  years  here,  and  Eternity  is 
all  the  time  we  have,  and  there  are  no  seasons,  neither  day 
nor  night,  our  fruit  forms  necessarily,  immediately  after  the 
plucking.  And  now,  Herfronzo,  will  you  go  home  with  me  ?" 

Well,  I  really  did  not  know  what  else  to  do.  Yes,  many 
thanks,  Voncelora;  but  first  tell  me,  dear  sir,  where  your 
home  may  be  ? 

He  pointed  in  the  direction  of  the  little  cottage  where  the 
angel  had  seated  me  on  my  arrival  in  this  new  world. 

"Did  you  not  perceive  a  cottage  on  your  way  hither  ?  he 
asked. 

Oh,  yes ;  and  I  rested  near  the  door  of  that  house  for 
some  time  before  I  crossed  this  meadow.  We  now  together 
wended  our  way  back  to  the  door  of  the  cottage.  The  door 
which  had  previously  been  closed,was  now  open.  He  entered 
and  I  followed.  The  hallway  ran  directly  through  the  little 
house,  and  the  door  at  the  back  was  also  open ;  a  wide  stair 
case  ran  up  to  the  floor  above.  He  knocked  gently  on  a 
door  at  one  side  of  the  hall. 


VI. 

KATRINA. 

HE  door  was  opened  by  a  lady.     She  welcomed  us 
with  a  sweet  smile. 
"Katrina,"  said  Voncelora,  "this   is  a  friend  of  mine 
whom  an  angel  left  at  our  door, not  long  since;   he  has  but 
just  arrived  from  earth." 

"Herfronzo,  this  lady  is  my  wife.  " 

She  gave  me  her  hand,  saying : 

"Welcome ;  Herfronzo,  to  the  land  of  Souls — the  Imperish 
able   World." 

We  became  seated,  and  I  looked  at  the  lady.  Certainly, 
she  was  the  most  beautiful  woman  that  I  had  ever  seen. 
She  looked  about  twenty-five  years  of  age.  Her  form  was 
exquisitely  rounded  and  graceful.  Her  hair,  bright  golden, 
extremly  thick  and  waving,  hung  in  two  heavy  braids  far  down 
her  back,  the  ends  being  left  unbraided  for  about  a  quarter  of  a 
yard,  each  braid  being  tied  with  a  knot  of  pale  blue  ribbon. 
Her  robes  appeared  to  be  of  soft  white  muslin,  confined 
about  the  waist  by  a  sash  of  pale  blue.  Her  face  was  a 
study,  and  one  might  look  forever,  and  yet  desire  to  look  again. 
A  heavenly  face ;  purity,  truth,  wisdom,  love,  all  were  reflect 
ed  there.  Her  eyes  were  large  and  blue,  and  a  soft  steady 


26  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

light  shone  within  them.     Her  skin  was  very  clear  and  white; 
her  cheeks  peachy.     Her  lips  were  as  red  and  sweet  as  two 
rosebuds ;   long  golden  lashes  concealed  the  bright  eyes  at 
her  pleasure.      Voncelora  had    left    the    room  for   a  few 
moments  and  now  returned.     His  attire  was  changed,  and  he 
hardly  appeared  to  be   the   same   shepherd  with  whom   I 
had  become  acquainted  out  in  the  meadow  among  the  sheep. 
His  appearance  was  now  that  of  a  very  refined  gentleman. 
His  blond  hair  still  hung  in  waving  masses  over  his  shoulders. 
His  bright  beard  still  fell  upon  his  breast.      His  eyes  were 
yet  as  blue  as  heaven.     He  was  the  same,  and  yet  not  the 
same.     He  now  wore  white  satin  breeches.     His  coat  was  a 
deep  mazerine  blue,  as  were  his  silken  stockings.     His  shoes 
had  golden  buckles,  and  he  wore  knee  buckles  of  gold.     Soft 
white  ruffles  were  about  his  wrists  and  upon  his  bosom.    His 
features  expressed  great  nobility  of  soul.      His  hands  were 
well  formed,  strong  and  white.      He  was  rather  portly,  and 
his  bearing  was  that  of  a  nobleman.     My  eyes  took  in  the 
details  of  the  room.     The  room  was  large ;  it  was  not  square, 
but  circular.     The  ceiling  was  a  complete  dome,  frescoed  in 
blue  and  gold,  the  blue  representing  the  vault  of   heaven  ; 
the  gold,  the  sun  and  stars ;  and  a  silver  crescent  the  moon. 
White  fleecy  clouds  appeared  here  and  there. 

A  soft  carpet  covered  the  floor— dark  mossy  green— with 
modest  flowers  and  vines  running  gracefully  all  over  it. 
There  was  no  set  pattern  and  the  flowers  all  differed  one 
from  another.  There  were  daisies,  and  roses  ;  violets  and 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  27 

pinks ;  blue  forget-me-nots,  and  white  lilies-of-the-vailey. 
There  were  butter-cups,  and  bright  little  humming  birds. 
The  carpet  had  a  border  of  white  immortelles. 

A  Grand  Piano  was  the  next  thing  which  caught  my 
attention.  A  book  was  open  on  the  rack,  and  I  caught  sight 
of  the  title  page.  I  started  in  great  surprise ;  it  was  my  own 
book  that  I  had  spent  years  of  my  earth-life  in  writing  and 
compiling,  a  book  into  which  I  had  put  my  whole  soul,  a 
complete  Piano  System. 

Tears  rushed  to  my  eyes,  I  was  completely  overcome.  My 
book  then,  was  immortal  as  well  as  myself ;  and  it  seemed  as 
though  a  great  compliment  were  paid  me  by  these  strangers ; 
they  had  placed  my  book,  which  seemed  to  me  like  so  much 
of  my  heart's  blood — before  my  eyes,  to  welcome  me,  as 
though  it  had  preceded  me  to  the  everlasting  life.  A  little 
fire  of  sweet  incense  burned  within  a  golden  grate.  A  large 
center  table,  covered  with  books  and  flowers,  three  or  four 
easy  chairs,  and  a  large  sofa.  A  leopard  skin  rug  lay  upon 
the  hearth  ;  the  windows  looked  out  front  and  back.  I  had 
not  been  long  in  taking  in  all  these  details,  and  now  Katrina 
spoke, — I  will  not  call  her  Mrs.  Voncelora. 

"Herfronzo,"  she  said,  with  her  sweet  and  radiant  smile, 
"you  are  not  an  entire  stranger  to  us." 

Indeed,  Madam  !     I  do  not  remember  of  ever  having  seen 
you,  or  your  husband  before  to-day. 

4 'No,  I  see  that  you  do  not  remember  us.     But,  dear  Sir, 
pray  consider  this  your  home  as  long  as  you  are  pleased  to 


28  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

remain  with  us.     We  owe  you  a  debt  of  gratitude,  and  per 
haps  we  may  in  this  way,  be  able  to  recompense  you  in  part." 

I  do  not  understand  you,  Madam.  I  do  not  know  to  what 
you  refer. 

She  glanced  at  Voncelora.  He  gave  her  an  affectionate 
look  and  slightly  waved  his  hand. 

"Herfronzo,"  he  said,  "no  act  of  kindness  is  ever  forgotten 
by  an  immortal  soul ;  and  if  the  one  that  confers  the  favor 
does  not  receive  his  reward  on  earth,  he  is  sure  to  meet  with 
it  in  the  heavens." 

"I  extend  my  invitation  with  that  of  my  wife— that  you 
consider  this  house  your  home,  and  ourselves  your  warm, 
true  friends,  as  long  as  you  are  pleased  to  remain  with  us. 
At  the  same  time  we  will  guide  and  accompany  you  wherever 
it  may  be  your  pleasure  to  go." 

Many  thanks;  kind  friends,  I  answered,  tears  springing 
to  my  eyes.  I  really  need  a  home  and  kindness  just  now,  for 
I  am  a  stranger  and  know  not  to  what  manner  of  life  I  have 
come. 

"Great  joy  and  happiness  is  the  only  life  to  which  you 
can  look  forward  to,  as  there  is  no  other  for  the  soul  of  man ; 
and  as  time  rolls  on  every  creature  that  lives  will  attain  it ;" 
said  Katrina,  with  that  firm  steady  light  in  her  lovely  blue 
eyes;  "meanwhile,  dear  Herfronzo,  will  you  play  some  of 
your  favorite  airs  ?" 

With  pleasure,  Madam,  I  answered,  approaching  the  Piano. 

I  was  only  too  glad  to  get  to  that   Piano.     I  wanted  to 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y.  29 

turn  over  the  leaves  of  that  book  and  find  out  whether  it  was 
a  phantom  or  a  real  thing.  I  could  not  understand  how  it 
was  that  books  and  pianos  existed  here  in  this  spiritual  life ; 
so  taking  my  seat  at  the  piano  I  ran  my  fingers  over  the  keys. 
The  piano  was  Steinway's  best;  and  gave  forth  sweet 
sounds.  Then  I  turned  the  leaves  of  my  own  book,  and  for 
a  short  time  I  was  oblivious  to  all  things  else.  I  played 
many  of  my  favorite  pieces,  and  was  very  happy  to  think  that 
music  was  not  to  be  denied  me  in  this  spiritual  life.  When 
I  had  finished  I  asked  Katrina  to  play,  and  she  readily 
acquiesced.  She  played  like  the  angel  she  was,  selecting  the 
very  pieces  from  my  book  that  I  considered  to  be  the  best 
and  most  difficult.  I  then  asked  Voncelora  to  play.  He 
excused  himself,  saying  that  he  thought  I  must  be  weary  and 
need  rest, 


VII. 

HELENE. 

EANING  back  restfully  in  one  of  the  easy  chairs,  I 
asked.  Tell  me  Voncelora,  how  is  it  that  I  find  my  own 
book  in  this  life  ?  Certainly  books  do  not  have  souls. 

"Do  not  be  so  sure  of  that,  dear  Herfronzo,"  he  answered, 
a  deep  look  filling  his  heavenly  eyes,  "the  book  which  you 
wrote  is  a  part  of  your  own  soul,  and  the  thoughts  within  you 
become  real  things  in  this  life.  That  book  is  a  thing  which 
you  created,  it  is  projected  from  your  soul  and  becomes  a  real 
spiritual  object  in  the  spiritual  life  ;  and  your  thoughts  put 
into  this  form,  other  spirits  can  make  use  of  for  their  instruc 
tion  and  benefit." 

"My  wife,  as  well  as  myself,  have  made  use  of  your 
excellent  book  for  some  time,  and  consider  ourselves  greatly 
benefited  by  it;  for  which,  dear  Herfronzo,  receive  our 
heartfelt  thanks." 

"We  do  not  have  money  in  this  life  with  which  to  repay 
you,  but  we  hope  to  benefit  you  in  other  ways,  for  we 
exchange  here  one  truth  for  another." 

"Your  book  is  a  great  truth,  based  on  truthful  principles ; 
therefore  it  lives  in  this  life ;  for  no  truth,  whatever  may  be 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  31 

its  nature,  ever  perishes;  it  is  as  immortal  as  the  soul  of  man." 

"The  piano  which  you  see  before  you  is  another  great 
truth.  We  did  not  invent  it  but  we  avail  ourselves  of  the 
inventions  of  other  men  and  are  benefited  thereby.  They 
avail  themselves  of  that  which  we  have  to  give,  and  are 
greatly  benefited." 

Let  none  that  read  this  book  laugh  or  deride  it ;  for  if 
you  are  a  member  of  any  church,  remember  that  within 
the  heaven  in  which  you  believe,  there  are  said  to  be  harps 
of  gold,  played  by  angel  fingers;  and  Katrina  was  an 
extremely  bright,  lovely  and  beautiful  angel;  and  I  hope 
that  I  shall  prove  to  you,  before  I  finish,  that  she  played 
before  the  throne  of  God.  Again,  do  not  doubt  the  existence 
of  books  in  heaven ;  for  according  to  your  own  theories  the 
recording  angel  writes  in  a  book  against  every  one's  name, 
their  good  or  their  bad  deeds ;  and  if  one  book  can  exist  in 
heaven,  is  there  any  good  reason  why  there  may  not  be  many? 

Be  that  as  it  may,  my  book  was  there  before  my  eyes,  a 
real  thing,  palpable  to  my  sense  and  sight,  as  was  also  the 
piano. 

Tell  me,  Voncelora,  how  did  you  come  into  possession  of 
this  house  and  all  I  see  within  it  ? 

"Well,"  said  Voncelora,  ''my  wife  and  I  desired  just  such 
a  little  home,  and  together  we  constructed  it  within  our 
minds.  And  as  all  our  thoughts  are  real  spiritual  things, 
they  flow  outward  from  us  and  become  objective  to  us,  and 
we  dwell  within  our  thoughts.  Dear  Katrina  did  the  most 


32  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

toward  the  furnishing  of  it ;  and  our  house,  which  was  and  is 
our  thought  is  an  object  to  other  spirits  as  well  as  ourselves  ; 
they  can  enter  and  abide  with  us  if  we  and  they  so  desire  it. 
Do  not  let  this  surprise  you,  Herfronzo,  for  even  the  Christ 
ian's  Bible  says  : — In  my  father's  house  are  many  mansions, 
and  as  this  spiritual  sphere  is  one  of  our  father's  houses,  you 
must  expect  to  find  in  it,  many  mansions  not  made  with  hands 
eternal  and  in  the  heavens." 

Katrina   had  left  the    room   while  we  were   conversing. 

She  now  returned,  saying  : — 

"Dearest  husband,  dinner  awaits  us." 

"Come,  Herfronzo ;"  and  giving  her  my  arm,  Voncelora 
led  the  way  to  a  room  across  the  hall,  and  throwing  wide  the 
door,  we  entered.  It  proved  to  he  an  extremely  beautiful 
dining  hall.  A  table,  spread  with  a  snowy  cloth,  stood  in  the 
center  of  the  room.  It  was  set  for  four,  and  its  appointments 
were  most  beautiful  and  elegant.  Just  as  we  were  taking 
our  seats,  a  lady  entered. 

"Welcome,  dearest  Helene,"  said  Katrina. 

"Allow  me  to  introduce,  Herfronzo;  but  lately  come  to 
this  world.  He  has  been  with  us  but  a  few  hours." 

"Herfronzo,  we  call  this  lady  Helene;  or  if  you  please, 
Fraulein  Helene.  She  is  our  dear  sister  and  friend. 

The  lady  bowed  gracefully,  and  took  the  seat  opposite  me 
at  the  table.  Katrina  was  very  beautiful ;  but  this  lady  was 
still  more  beautiful.  She  was  not  at  all  like  Katrina ;  but 
her  very  presence  thrilled  me  through  and  through.  I  could 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  33 

scarcely  understand  the  reason  why.  I  had  been  accustomed 
to  the  society  of  very  beautiful  ladies  in  the  life  I  had  lately 
left;  but  never  before  had  one  thrilled  me  as  this  one  did.  I 
could  scarcely  keep  my  eyes  from  her  face.  She  was  rather 
tall,  slenderly  and  beautifully  formed,  and  bore  herself  like 
a  queen.  Her  hair  was  very  dark,  and  looked  like  shining 
satin  in  its  smoothness.  She  wore  it  in  a  large  knot  at  the 
back  of  her  queenly  head,  and  a  silver  arrow  was  thrust 
through  the  dark  mass.  Her  eyes  were  large,  dark  and  very 
soft.  Her  face  was  pale  and  highly  intellectual,  and  when 
she  raised  her  large  dark  eyes,  they  shot  forth  quivering  rays 
of  magnetic  flame  that  seemed  to  set  my  whole  being  in  a 
blaze  of  light.  Katrina  did  the  honors  at  the  table,  but  the 
lady  opposite  fascinated  me  to  that  degree,  I  could  scarcely 
taste  of  anything.  I  do  not  now  remember  what  the  dinner 
consisted  of,  but  the  conversation  I  can  recall  distinctly. 


VIII. 

BEAUTY. 

ERFRONZO,"  said  Voncelora,  "this  life  is  entirely 
different  from  anything  you  expected  to  find.  We 
know, my  dear  Sir,  just  what  your  feelings  are;  and 
deeply  sympathize  with  you  in  your  wondering  strangeness ; 
for  we  have  all  passed  through  a  similar  experience." 

"We  have  not  been  in  this  world  very  long,  ourselves ;  but 
yet,  long  enough  to  know  that  we  are  supremely  happy  and 
blessed,  and  that  all  life  has  a  deep  meaning  within  it.  The 
longer  you  are  with  us,  the  happier  you  will  become ;  for  at 
every  turn  you  make,  you  will  learn  some  new  and  unexpect 
ed  truth  that  will  give  you  supreme  joy.  Before  we  came  to 
this  life,  even  in  the  wildest  flights  of  our  so-called  imagina 
tion,  we  never  supposed  that  spiritual  beings  could  be  seated, 
as  we  now  are,  and  partake  of  food,  I  know  by  your  counte 
nance  that  such  thoughts  are  now  passing  through  your 
mind." 

You  are  right,  Voncelora.  It  really  does  seem  so  strange 
to  me,  that  I  was  wondering  if  it  might  not,  after  all,  be  a 
dream ;  and  that  I  might  awake  and  find  myself  back  in  my 
old  body  again.  It  makes  me  shudder  to  think  that  I  might 
have  to  take  it  up  again.  I  feel  like  some  weary  traveller, 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  35 

that  has  carried  an  enormous  burden  in  the  heat  of  the  noon 
day  sun,  and  has  at  last  found  a  refreshing  shade  and  cast 
his  burden  down  by  the  cool  banks  of  a  stream ;  and  I  feel 
as  though  I  could  never  take  it  up  again. 

"My  dear  Herfronzo,  this  is  a  supreme  joy  which  we  all 
feel,  that  we  shall  never  again  be  obliged  to  take  up  those 
heavy  burdens." 

"Our  old  burdensome  bodies  of  material  matter  are  cast 
from  us  forever ;  and  we  are  above  and  beyond  all  death  and 
decay.     This  truth  alone  is  enough  to  render  us  supremely 
happy.     Then  on  the  other  hand,  when  we  find  we  have  lost 
nothing  but  gained  all  things,  and  that  in  losing  our  material 
bodies  we  have  cast  off  a  heavy  and  decaying  garment,  or 
covering,  how  supremely  light,  blest  and  happy  we  feel.     But 
you  will  find,  dear  Sir,  the  longer  you  remain  with  us,  that 
this  life  is  but  a  continuation  of  the  one  which  you  have  left. 
How  could  you,  or  any  other  spirit,  pass  directly  from  the 
habit  of  partaking  of  food  three  times  a  day,  for  perhaps  the 
space  of  sixty  or  seventy  years,  to  a  life  where  there  was 
no  such  thing  as  food,  or  the  partaking  of  it?      How  could 
you,  after  bathing  for  this  length  of  time,  pass  directly  into  a 
life   where   such  a   thing  as  a  bath  was  never  thought  of? 
Almost  the  first  thing  that  spirits  do,  after  resting  a  short 
time,  is  to  plunge  into  the  first  water  they  find ;  and  they  are 
usually  led,  or  placed  by  superior  beings,  or  the  guiding  angel 
that  receives  their  soul,  near  a  stream  of  water,  or  lake,  for 
this  purpose ;  if  they  are  adults,  they  are  then  left  alone  until 


36  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.       , 

their  bath  is  over ;  for  people  in  the  earth-life  usually  take 
their  bath  in  private,  and  it  makes  the  new-born  spirit  feel 
more  at  its  ease  and  at  home;  and  very  shortly  after  that, 
they  are  hungry,  and  desire  food.  This  event  is  of  a  more 
social  kind,  and  they  eat  and  drink  for  the  first  time  with 
near  and  dear  friends  that  have  preceded  them  to  the 
spiritual  life.  A  child  that  is  born  into  earth-life,  is  first 
washed,  then  dressed,  and  shortly  afterwards  given  food; 
at  the  same  time  it  commences  its  first  little  lessons  in  its 
new  life;  it  commences  to  observe  and  learn;  it  is  very 
hungry,  both  for  sustenance  and  knowledge.  That  lower  life 
is  merely  a  type,  on  a  small  beginning  scale,  of  this  the  higher, 
superior  life;  and  whatever  you  do  in  that  life,  be  sure  you 
do  in  this  on  a  grander  scale." 

I  felt  just  now  as  though  I  were  very  weak  and  ignorant; 
although  I  had  considered  myself  a  deep  thinker  in  the  life  I 
had  just  left,  and  could  rout  and  put  to  flight,  almost  anyone 
with  whom  I  condescended  to  argue  a  point.  What 
argument  could  I  bring  to  bear  against  Voncelora's  plain  un 
varnished  truths?  This  was  nearly  the  first  time  in  many 
years  that  I  had  sat  at  table  and  conversed  with  one  of  my 
own  sex  without  entering  into  an  argument  of  some  kind; 
and  I  had  always  felt  that  I  had  the  best  of  my  antagonist, 
but  here  I  sat  almost  mute,  and  another  man  was  talking 
to  me  in  this  superior  way,  and  I  could  answer  him  nothing. 
I  could  only  sit  at  his; table  like  a  child,  and  be  taught;  and 
this  man  had  been  teaching  me  from  the  beginning  of  my  new 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y.  37 

life.  He  had  also  intimated  that  the  new  born  spirit  always 
sat  at  table,  for  the  first  time,  with  near  and  dear  friends;  but 
I  felt  sure  that  I  had  never  seen  either  one  of  these  three 
people.  They  were  very  young  as  well  as  very  beautiful.  I, 
on  the  other  hand,  was  a  man  past  sixty  years  of  age. 
Voncelora  and  Katrina  did  not  look  a  day  over  twenty-five  ; 
and  Fraiilein  Helene  did  not  appear  more  than  twenty. 

Voncelora  again  spoke. 

"You  perceive,  dear  Herfronzo,  that  we  have  neither 
flesh,  fowl  nor  fish  on  our  dinner  table ;  nothing  but  bread, 
fruit,  water  and  a  little  wine.  We  cannot  here  destroy 
anything  that  has  life.  Although  you  have  seen  fish,  fowl 
and  many  animals,  yet  not  one  can  be  killed  to  satisfy  any 
man's  hunger ;  he  must  live  by  bread  and  fruit  alone." 

But,  Voncelora,  allow  me  to  ask  if  you  raise  wheat  in  this 
world  ?  And  if  there  are  mills  here  that  grind  the  wheat  into 
fine  flour  ?  For  this  bread  is  as  white  as  snow,  and  as  light 
as  bread  can  be.  You  have  already  told  me  how  the  fruit 
and  grapes  grow,  and  I  also  saw  for  myself  when  you  plucked 
the  bunch  of  grapes  at  the  edge  of  the  meadow ;  but  how 
this  beautiful  bread  is  made  I  do  not  know. 

Voncelora's  eyes  rested  upon  Katrina,  and  their  expression 
was  one  of  the  deepest  love  and  reverence. 

"  My  Katrina  prepares  my  bread,  which  is  my  food,  for 
me.  I  gather  the  fruit  from  the  natural  living  vines  and  trees, 
but  my  bread,  which  is  the  staff  of  my  life,  my  wife  prepares 
and  gives  unto  me.  You  ask  me  if  wheat  grows  in  this  world  ? 


38  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

There  is  plenty  of  spiritual  wheat  here,  but  this  bread  is  not 
made  from  wheat ;  but  my  Katrina's  little  hands  gather  it 
from  out  the  higher  heavens,  and  it  is  compounded  of  Wisdom, 
Love  and  Truth ;  but  this,  Herfronzo,  is  past  your  com 
prehension  just  at  this  present  time.  Eat  now,  through 
me,  of  my  Katrina's  bread,  that  you  may  live  and  be  prepared 
for  one,  that  shall  shortly  feed  you  with  bread  from  heaven. 

'4  Did  not  the  wives  of  old,  as  your  bible  hath  it,  go  forth 
and  gather  the  manna,  as  it  fell  from  heaven,  wherewith  to 
feed  their  household  ?  And  my  Katrina  has  been  gathering 
manna." 

"Eat,  Herfronzo,  eat !  " 

Katrina  sat  with  downcast  eyes.  Her  cheeks  glowing 
like  a  fresh  blown  rose.  I  glanced  at  the  Fraulein  Helene. 
Her  soft  eyes  met  mine  in  full.  A  deep  blush  suffused  her 
otherwise  pale  face ;  but  she  said  nothing.  I  felt  almost  like 
an  awkward  school  boy  in  the  presence  of  Voncelora 
and  his  wife,  and  this  exquisitely  beautiful  Fraulein  Helene. 
I  really  could  not  find  my  tongue.  I  wanted  to  converse  with 
her,  but  could  find  nothing  to  say.  She  had  not  spoken  thus  far, 
and  Katrina  had  been  very  silent.  To  pay  them  compliments 
seemed  out  of  place  ;  they  were  so  lovely,  pure  and  dignified. 
Compliments  merely  paid  them  for  the  sake  of  entering  into 
conversation,  seemed  too  vulgar,  even  for  me  to  think  of 
paying  them  for  one  moment,  but  I  thought  I  would  venture 
a  remark  or  two,  about  age. 

Pardon  me,  Fraulein  Helene,  I  said,  but  will  you  tell  me 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  39 

which  is  the  eldest,  yourself  or  your  sister  ?  You  are  not  in 
the  least,  alike. 

"  Katrina  is  not  my  sister,"  answered  the  Fraiilein. 

Ah ;  then  you  are  the  sister  of  Voncelora  ? 

She  raised  her  eyes  to  his  face,  and  I  saw  a  look  of 
amusement  play  over  his  features.  But  you  resemble  him, 
even  less  than  you  do  Katrina. 

"Voncelora  is  not  my  brother,"  she  said;  and  now  her 
own  eyes  drooped  beneath  their  long  dark  lashes. 

Excuse  me,  Voncelora,  but  I  understood  your  wife  to  say, 
that  the  Fraiilein  Helene  was  your  sister. 

"Katrina  said,  that  Helene  was  our  sister  and  friend  ;  but 
did  not  mean  that  she  was  born  of  the  same  parents." 

"Oh  -ah;  I  said,  a  little  confused;  but  may  I  ask  you 
Voncelora,  what  your  age  may  be  ?  It  seems  so  strange  for 
me,  an  old  man,  to  hear  one  so  young  talk  so  wisely  and  well. 
He  looked  more  amused  than  before  and  laughed  outright. 

"Fraiilein  Helene,"  he  said,  "look  well  at  Herfronzo 
and  myself,  and  tell  us  truly,  which  appears  to  be  the 
oldest  ?" 

She  looked  more  amused,  even,  than  Voncelora,  as  she 
answered. 

I  should  judge  you,  Voncelora,  to  be  many,  very  many 
years  older  than  Herfronzo." 

I  looked  a/:  her  in  astonishment.  Could  this  lovely  and 
beautiful  woman  be  making  game  of  me  ?  Was  she  holding 
me  up  for  ridicule?  I  think  I  must  have  looked  slightly 


40  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

angry.  The  idea  was  altogether  too  preposterous ;  for  Von- 
celora  looked  even  younger  than  twenty-five ;  and  I  had  set 
him  down  as  I  thought,  at  the  last  figure. 

"Katrina,  let  us  have  your  opinion.  Herfronzo  does  not 
appear  to  be  well  pleased  with  the  judgement  of  the 
Fraiilein  Helene." 

"Well,  answered  Katrina  slowly,  I  know  you  to  be  many 
years  older  than  Herfronzo." 

"Herfronzo,  how  old  do  you  think  me  ? 

"I  should  think  you  to  be  about  twenty-five. 

He  laughed  again. 

"  What  if  I  were  to  tell  you,  reckoning  time  as  you  do  in 
the  life  you  have  just  left,  that  I  am  something  more  than  a 
hundred;  that  Katrina  is  very  near  my  own  age;  that  the 
Fraiilein  Helene  is  somewhere  about  sixty-five,  and  that  you, 
Herfronzo,  are  the  youngest  person  at  the  table,  instead  of 
the  oldest,  as  you  thought  yourself.  Another  thing  I  shall 
tell  you  which  will  surprise  you  more.  You  are  an  unmarried 
man;  and  what  is  more,  you  never  were  married." 

"Ah ;  Fraiilein  Helene,  do  not  blush  so  much." 

Voncelora,  I  see  plainly, that  you  know  very  little  about 
me,  I  said,  indignantly;  If  you  did,  you  would  know  very  well 
that  I  am  not  only  a  married  man,  but  a  twice  married  man, 
and  the  father  of  a  number  of  children.  In  fact,  the  father 
of  two  families  :  that  one  of  my  wives  must  be  here  in  this 
life — the  other  still  remains  on  earth. 

"Well,  well;  said  Voncelora,  soothingly,  pray  excuse  me, 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  41 

Herfronzo,  I  have  been  talking  a  little  out  of  order;  but  your 
past  earth-life  is  not  unknown  to  me." 

I  certainly  did  not  feel  quite  at  my  ease,  but  could  not 
gainsay  what  Voncelora  had  said.  I  looked  at  the  Fraulein 
Helene. 

Then,  of  course,  you  must  all  have  passed  out  of  the 
earth-life  while  still  very  young  ? 

"On  the  contrary,"  answered  Voncelora,  "we  were  all 
well  stricken  in  years," 

Pray  tell  me,  Fraulein  Helene,  how  long  have  you  been  in 
this  life  ? 

"  I  think  it  about  six  months,  as  time  is  reckoned  on  earth," 

I  looked  in  amaze,  at  this  youthful  and  beautiful  creature. 
Then,  do  you  mean  to  tell  me,  that  you  were  past  sixty  at  the 
time  of  your  departure  from  earth  ? 

"  Yes,  dear  Sir,  I  was  in  my  sixty-fifth  year.  Voncelora 
and  Katrina,  were  nearly  seventy  years  old  when  they  came 
to  this  life." 

They  call  you,  Fraulein  Helene.  You  were  never  married, 
then? 

"  Oh,  yes,"  she  answered,  with  great  sweetness,  "  I  was 
married  and  the  mother  of  many  children  and  grand-children." 


IX. 


DO  THEY  MARRY  IN  HEAVEN? 


T  seemed  to  me  as  though  I  could  never  get  things  right. 
"Well,"  said  Voncelora,  "the  Fraiilein  Helene  is  not 
alone,  neither  are  you,  Herfronzo ;  Katrina  and  myself 
are  not  only  grandparents,  but  we  are  great  grandparents." 

Katrina  smiled  and  glanced  at  me  with  her  great  spark 
ling  blue  eyes. 

"Dear  Herfronzo,"  said  Voncelora,  ''can  you  bear  a  little 
more  of  my  lecturing?" 

I  assented,  well  pleased ;  for  I  wanted  to  know  how  all 
this  might  be.  Before  I  came  to  this  life,  I  had  thought,  if 
there  was  a  life,  at  all,  after  the  death  of  the  body,  that  each 
remained  at  the  same  age  they  were  when  they  died.  That 
a  child  remained  as  a  child,  and  a  man,  a  man  ;  and  an  old 
person,  still  old. 

"When  we  leave  the  earth-life,"  said  Voncelora,  "we 
appear, for  a  short  time,  much  as  we  did  when  we  left  it ;  but 
the  moment  we  commence  to  learn  heavenly  wisdom,  that 
moment  we  commence  to  grow  young  and  beautiful ;  we  do 
not  go  back  to  childhood  in  our  appearance,  neither,  do  we 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  43 

ever  again  have  the  same  appearance  that  we  had  in  the 
earth-life  ;  but  as  we  throw  off  error  after  error,  and  take  on 
wisdom,  love  and  truth,  we  become  perfect  and  beautiful  in 
our  outward  appearance  ;  and  every  mark  that  time  leaves 
upon  us,  is  one  of  perfection  and  beauty. 

Some  of  the  angels  here,  are  so  bright  and  glorious,  that 
even  we,  that  have  been  here  many  years,  cannot  behold 
them ;  and  those  that  come  here  as  children,  grow  in  love 
and  wisdom,  until  they  appear  as  full  grown  men  and  women, 
and  then  they  go  on  like  the  rest." 

I  now  remembered  how  I  had  taken  my  hair  in  my  hand, 
and  looked  at  it,  and  it  was  bright  and  shining,  without  a 
thread  of  gray ;  and  I  was  well  pleased  to  think,  that  I  might 
yet  be  as  beautiful  as  those  with  whom  I  was  sitting  at  table. 

Dinner  now  being  over,  we  went  back  again  to  the  pretty 
parlor,  the  Fraiilein  Helene  accompanying  us.  I  did  not 
speak  much,  I  was  most  eager  to  learn. 

Voncelora,  I  questioned,  after  we  had  become  seated, 
what  was  your  meaning,  when  you  said,  that  you  knew  of  my 
life  on  earth,  and  that  I  was  not  a  married  man  ? 

"I  meant   precisely  what  I  said." 

But   I  certainly  have  been  married  twice. 

"Well  then,  dear  Herfronzo,  tell  me,  which  one  of  those 
ladies  was  your  wife  ?" 

I  had  them  both  to  wife. 

"But  a  man  may  not  have  two  wives,  according  to  natural 
law;  and  as  both  those  ladies  are  in  existence,  one  here  and 


44  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

one    there,   which   of  them   do  you  claim   as  your   wife?" 

I  did  not  know  how  to  answer  him;  but  I  said,  I  had 
supposed  that  if  I  lived  at  all  after  death,  there  would  be  no 
marrying  or  giving  in  marriage. 

"How  would  you  like  that,  dear  Katrina?"  asked  Von- 
celora,  turning  to  his  wife. 

She  gave  me  a  radiant  smile,  and  placed  her  beautiful 
hand  in  that  of  Voncelora's. 

The  Fraulein  Helene  sat  with  downcast  eyes  and  man 
tling  blush. 

I  take  it,  Voncelora,  that  you  were  never  married  but 
once,  and  that  you  must  have  dearly  loved  Katrina,  and  per 
haps,  waited  for  each  other  until  you  were  reunited  in  this 

world  ? 

"Not  so — not  so !  Katrina  and  myself  were  never 
married  in  the  earth-life  ;  we  met  and  loved  each  other,  yet  we 
were  never  married  according  to  the  laws  of  earth." 

How  is  it,  then,  I  asked,  that  you  had  children  ? 

"Her  children  were  not  my  children ;  and  my  children 
were  not  her  children." 

"I  was  married  twice  on  the  earth,  she  had  three  hus 
bands  ;  and  yet,  neither  she  nor  I  were  ever  married  until 


Your  talk  is  very  paradoxical,  I  said. 
"Then  answer  my  question,  dear   Herfronzo,  which  one  of 
those  ladies  that  you  married   is   your   wife  ,  for   in  this  life 
you  cannot    have  but  one." 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  45 

I  have  not  said  that  I  desired  any,  I  answered.  My  life 
as  a  married  man  has  never  been  a  very  happy  one  ;  and  I 
think  I  had  rather  go  on  by  myself.  I  do  not  think  that  I  am 
well  fitted  to  be  the  husband  of  any  woman. 

I  glanced  at  the  Fraiilein  Helene  as  I  said  this.  Her 
beautiful  head  drooped  lower  and  lower  upon  her  breast, — but, 
if  I  must  claim  one  of  those  ladies  for  my  wife — if  it  is 
expected  of  me — then  of  course  I  must  claim  the  one  that  is 
already  here ;  for  I  am  separated  by  death  from  the  one 
below. 

"But  your  separation  from  the  one  that  is  here,  is  immeas 
urably  greater  than  your  separation  from  the  one  on  earth — 
in  fact,  it  would  be  an  impossibility ;  for  she  is  as  far  beyond  you 
now,  as  the  brightest  angel  is  beyond  the  vilest  man  on  earth ; 
not  only  this,  but  she  has  been  for  many  years  united  to 
another,  and  that  other,  her  rightful  other-self,  or  true  counter 
part  ;  so  to  claim  her  is  entirely  out  of  the  question.  Now 
then,  your  only  alternative  is  the  wife  below,  or  consider 
yourself  an  unmarried  man." 

But,  I  said,  I  have  long  desired  that  death  might  separate 
us ;  for  we  were  never  happy  together ;  and  according  to  all 
earthly  law,  when  death  separated  us,  we  each  had  a  right 
to  take  another  husband  or  wife  as  the  case  might  be. 

"Then  you  prefer  to  call  yourself  an  unmarried  man  ;  and 
that  is  exactly  what  I  called  you  a  short  time  ago,  and  you 
were  quite  indignant." 

I  understood  you  to  say,  Sir,  that  I  had  never  been  married. 


46  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

"Precisely,"  said  Voncelora,  "and  I  meant  exactly  what  I 
said.  Your  body  has  been  married,  but  not  your  soul,  or 
spirit.  Your  body  is  now  lying  dead,  down  below,  it  soon 
will  be  buried  out  of  sight  forever;  and  you,  yourself,  your 
living  self,  have  never  been  married." 

"You  cannot  be  united  to  the  lady  that  is  here  in  spirit ; 
you  cannot  be  united  to  the  lady  below ;  for  your  soul  in 
either  case  had  not  found  its  complement ;  and  therefore, 
dear  Herfronzo,  you  area  perfectly  free  man,  unmarried,  and 
you  never  were  married.  Very  few  persons  are  ever  truly 
married,  until  they  get  here ;  and  no  man  can  marry  here, 
until  he  finds  his  rightful  other-self,  or  counterpart ;  for  no 
half,  that  is  not  the  other  half  of  his  spirit  can  possibly  fit 
him  ;  for  it  is  the  soul— or  spirit— that  is  to  be  married,  and 
not  the  body;  and  the  soul  of  man,  cannot  unite  itself  to 
any  other,  than  the  other  half  of  his  own  soul.  Am  I  para 
doxical  now,  my  dear  Herfronzo  ?" 

What  answer  could  I  make  this  man  ?  In  heaven,  they 
neither  marry,  nor  are  given  in  marriage. 

"Well,  Herfronzo,  we  will  not  argue  this  point  to  night ; 
but  my  Katrina  shall  prepare  a  room  for  you.  I  think,  dear 
friend,  that  a  little  rest  will  do  you  good.  You  are  weary 
and  can  hear  no  more  just  know." 

"Fraiilein  Helene,  will  you  favor  us  with  a  song  ?" 

The  Fraiilein  seated  herself  at  the  piano,  and  turning  over 
the  leaves  of  my  book,  she  selected  a  soft  and  plaintive  air 
that  I  loved  well ;  and  played  and  sung  in  the  most  perfect 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  47 

and  beautiful  manner.  Her  voice  penetrated  my  whole 
being.  Tears  rushed  to  my  eyes  ;  for  I  had  taught  that  very 
piece  to  one  whom  I  had  loved  well  in  the  earth-life,  and  I 
had  often  played  the  accompaniment,  whilst  she  sung.  I 
was  deeeply  moved,  and  very  weary.  Katrina  had  been 
absent  for  some  little  time.  She  now  re-entered  the  room, 
saying: 

"Herfronzo,  dear  friend,  your  room  is  ready,  Voncelora 
will  conduct  you  to  it." 

Voncelora  arose ;  and  we  went  up  the  wide  staircase  to  a 
room  above.  He  kindly  bade  me  "good  night ;"  and  left  me 
to  myself. 


X. 

REST. 

room  was  a  gem  of  neatness  and  beauty,  A  soft 
white  bed  stood  in  one  corner,  surrounded  by  hazy 
curtains.  A  window,  softly  curtained  like  the  bed, was 
open,  and  a  gentle  invigorating  breeze  filled  with  the  per 
fume  of  flowers,  struck  my  face,  as  I  seated  myself  at  the 
window.  The  room  was  at  the  back  of  the  house  and  the 
view  from  the  window  was  very  mountainous  but  extremely 
beautiful.  Hill,  after  hill,  mountain,  after  mountain,  arose 
in  the  distance ;  and  I  could  not  see  where  they  ended.  The 
scene  was  so  exquisite  and  romantic  that  I  sat  for  a  long 
time,  gazing  from  the  window,  and  thinking  deeply  as  I 

gazed. 

My  mind  reviewed  all  that  I  had  seen  and  heard  since  I 
had  left  the  earth;  and  this  was  the  sum  and  substance  of 
what  I  had  learned— in  perhaps,  the  space  of  twelve  hours. 

First,  that  there  actually  was  a  life  after  the  death  of  the 

body. 

Second,  that  a  glorious  angel  had  accompanied  me  to 
this  world— that  it  was  not  like  anything  I  had  ever  conceived 
of,  or  had  been  taught— or  rather  it  was  a  world  something 
like  the  one  I  had  left,  but  of  entirely  spiritual  substance, 
instead  of  material,  that  it  was  on  a  vaster  and  grander  scale. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  49 

And  now  my  mind  began  to  ponder  on  the  last  lesson 
which  Voncelora  had  taught  me— that  there  existed  for  the 
spirit  of  man,  an  eternal  counterpart— or,  other-  half.  He 
had  also  told  me,  that  my  first  wife  had  long  been  united  to 
the  other  half  of  herself;  and  I  was  severed  from  the  wife 
on  earth  by  the  death  of  my  body,  which  he  said,  "was  the 
only  part  of  me  that  had  ever  been  married." 

I  had  always  been  conscious  that  my  soul,  or  inner  being, 
had  lived  entirely  alone;  and  now  that  my  body  was  left 
behind,  I  felt  that  1  was  wholly  alone,  except,  for  these  kind 
friends  with  whom  I  was  now  staying.  But,  Voncelora  was  a 
married  man,  and  this  was  his  home,  not  mine ;  and  then  I 
threw  myself  upon  the  bed,  and  the  image  of  one  that  I  had 
dearly  loved  when  in  the  earth-life,  rose  up  before  me,  and  I 
thought, — I  wish  I  knew  whether  she  were  in  this  life, or  not; 
for  she  had  often  told  me,  that  if  she  were  to  die  first,  she 
would  never  forget  me,  but  would  wait  till  I  came,  no  matter 
how  long  a  time  might  intervene  between  her  departure  and 
mine.  She  was  not  like  myself  in  one  respect.  She  had 
firmly  and  fully  believed  in  a  future  life,  although  she  had 
of  ten- said,  that  she  did  not  know  just  what  kind  of  life  it 
might  be;  but  she  was  convinced  that  it  was  not  such  a  one  as 
the  most  of  people  believed  in.  And  now,  her  gentle  voice 
seemed  to  ring  in  my  ears  once  more.  Her  soft  eyes  to  look 
into  mine  as  they  had  often  done  in  the  earth-life,  when  she 
would  try  to  comfort  and  encourage  me,  in  my  otherwise  sad 
existence.  I  had  now  found  that  she  was  right,  and  I  had 


SO  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

been  wrong ;  thus  thinking  and  greatly  wishing  that  I  might 
meet  her  here,  I  fell  asleep ;  and  as  I  slept,  I  dreamed  that  I 
was  roaming  with  her,  hand  in  hand,  through  this  blest  and 
beautiful  land. 

How  long  I  slept  I  do  not  know,  but  a  knock  at  my  door 
aroused  me,  and  going  thither,  I  opened  it  and  Voncelora 
entered. 

"Have  you  rested  well,  dear  friend  ?"  he  asked. 

I  have  not  only  rested  well,  but  have  been  visited  by 
delightful  dreams,  I  answered. 

He  smiled. 

"Dreams!  Will  you  tell  me  your  dreams,  Herfronzo?" 
Yes,  I  may  as  well  tell  you.  My  dreams  were  of  one, 
whom  I  met  years  ago  in  the  earth-life.  I  loved  her  very 
dearly.  In  fact,  I  think  she  was  the  only  one  whom  I  ever 
did  really  and  truly  love ;  but  as  we  were  both  married  at 
the  time  we  met,  of  course,  we  could  be  nothing  more  to  each 
other  than  very  dear  friends.  But  she  above  all  others, 
encouraged,  comforted,  and  held  up  my  drooping  spirits— 
but  for  her  friendship,  life  would  have  been  to  me  an  intoler 
able  burden,  which  I  would  gladly  have  lain  down.  My 
dreams,  dear  Von.  were  of  her.  I  thought  we  had  met 
again  in  this  life,  and  were  united;  and,  hand  in  hand,  we 
were  roaming  into  the  most  heavenly  places.  This  little  glen 
is  very  beautiful ;  and  this  cottage  as  pretty  and  home-like  as 
cottage  can  be ;  yet,  I  feel  as  though  I  should  not  like  to  stay 
here  always.  I  caught  sight  of  beautiful  cities  and  towns,  as 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  51 

the  angel  was  fetching  me  here.  Voncelora,  I  think  I  should 
like  to  visit  some  of  those  places. 

"Certainly,  my  dear  Herfronzo,  I  have  come  to  you  for 
the  purpose  of  asking — if  you  would  not  like  to  take  a  short 
journey  with  me  ?" 

Nothing  would  suit  me  better,  dear  Von. 

"How  would  you  like  to  go  back  to  earth  for  a  short  time, 
before  visiting  any  of  the  other  places  ?" 

It  would  suit  me  very  well,  I  answered, 

We  passed  directly  out  of  the  cottage,  without  seeing 
Katrina,or  the  Fraiilein  Helene.  We  took  the  little  footpath 
that  led  out  of  the  glen;  and  soon,  a  vast  and  beautiful 
country  burst  upon  my  view.  I  had  thought  it  extremely 
lovely  when  I  was  with  the  angel ;  but  now  it  appeared  more 
gloriously  beautiful.  The  air  felt  to  me,  like  crisp,  fresh, 
dewy  morning;  and  the  towns  and  'cities  glowed  and 
sparkled  like  so  many  glistening  jewels ;  and  on  the  sides  of 
hills  I  caught  sight  of  shining  palaces  and  stately  mansions; 
glistening  minarets  •  and  towers  were  upon  the  mountains. 
Rivers  and  lakes  sparkled  here  and  there.  I  paused.  The 
sight  held  me  spell-bound.  I  clapped  my  hands  in  ecstacy  of 
delight. 

Oh,  Voncelora!  I  exclaimed. 

I  cannot  move!  I  am  faint  with  joy!  This  is  rapture. 
This  is  the  real  heaven, — the  immortal  life!  I  feel  as 
though  I  must  go  back  and  tell  all  my  friends,  on  the  dark 
and  unhappy  earth,  of  the  glorious  reality;  the  surety  of  a 


52  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

future  life,  and  how  vast  and  beautiful  this  heavenly  country  is. 

Voncelora  stood  gazing  out  over  this  glorious  scene.  If 
he  had  appeared  grand  and  noble  before,  I  now  looked  at 
him  awe  stricken.  He  appeared  like  a  God.  Grandeur, 
glory,  and  heaven,  were  all  reflected  in  his  deep  blue  eyes. 

He  waved  his  hands  toward  this  beautiful  country,  as 
though  he  were  blessing  it,  and  then  turned  to  me. 

"Come— come,  my  friend,  let  us  go.  The  earth  is  dark 
and  unhappy  as  you  say,  and  now  our  work  lies  principally, 

there." 

I  now  experienced  a  sudden  revulsion  of  feeling.  A  shud 
der  passed  through  me.  I  thought  I  could  never  go  back  to 
earth  and  work  any  more.  The  burden  seemed  too  heavy, 
and  I  shrank  back. 

Voncelora,  I  do  not  care  to  go,  even  to  see  the  friends  I 
left.  They  will  all  get  along  very  well  without  me.  Let  us 
go,  instead,  into  that  lovely  town  which  I  see  just  ahead. 

"We  must  earn  all  things  before  we  can  enjoy  them,"  he 
answered,  "Dear  Herfronzo,  we  must  work  and  create  and 
then  enjoy.  You  must  gain  wisdom  yourself,  and  then  give 
of  your  store  to  those  that  have  not  as  much  light  as  you 

have." 

"Have  you  not  left  children  in  the  earth-life?  Do  you 
not  wish  to  see  them— to  read  their  souls  aright— and  help 
them  ?  You  were  the  means  of  bringing  them  into  existence ; 
will  you  leave  them  now  to  struggle  on  alone,  without  light 
and  help  from  heaven  ?  Herfronzo  do  not  yield  to  such  selfish 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y.  53 

feelings.  You  may  not  enjoy  heaven  alone,  you  must 
help  others  to  enjoy  it  with  you;  the  heavens  here  are  just 
what  the  angels  make  them.  Heaven  does  not  create  itself; 
the  natural  heaven  exists  the  same  as  the  natural  earth,  but 
if  man  remained  on  earth  in  the  natural  or  savage  state,  he 
would  never  rise  much  above  the  wild  animals ;  if  spirits  re 
mained  crude  and  ignorant  here,  there  would  be  no  heaven. 
Most  of  the  souls  that  come  here  are  crude  and  ignorant ; 
they  know  not  how  to  create  their  share  of  heaven,  and  must 
first  be  taught  by  those  wiser  than  themselves ;  and  if  those 
on  the  earth  did  not  receive  wisdom  direct  from  the  angel 
world,  there  would  be  no  progression  there,  and  man  would 
remain  on  a  level  with  the  brute.  Now,  Herfronzo,  let  us  go ; 
for  I  may  not  remain  idle." 

"Katrina  usually  accompanies  me  to  earth,  every  day. 
We  work  until  we  are  weary,  and  then  we  return  to  our  home 
in  the  heavens  to  rest  and  happiness  which  we  have  earned." 

Why  does  not  Katrina  go  with  us  to  day?    I  asked. 

"She  remains  to  comfort  the  Fraiilein  Helene,  and  enter 
tain  her,"  he  answered. 

"Dear  Katrina  will  not  be  idle  in  our  absence ;  and  the 
Fraiilein  is  a  little  lonely  just  now,  and  needs  her." 


XI. 

BACK  TO  EARTH. 

'E  were  floating  swiftly  onward  as  he  talked,  at  a 
gentle  inclination  downward,  and  soon  the  earth  came 
into  view. 

Voncelora,  I  said,  of  course  you  must  know  as  well  as 
myself,  that  for  a  few  years  back  there  has  been  a  great 
commotion  and  discussion  among  the  people  of  earth.  Some 
say,  that  spirits  return  and  communicate  with  them,  aid  and 
help  them.  Others  will  not  admit  that  this  is  the  case,  and 
laugh  and  sneer  at  those  that  think  they  are  conscious  of  the 
presence  of  the  departed ;  and  they  stubbornly  insist,  that 
no  one  ever  returns  to  earth,  after  the  death  of  the  body. 
Before  I  left  the  earth,  I  had  come  to  the  conclusion, 
that  if  man  was  immortal,  he  certainly  could — and  did  return. 
But  I  had  not  come  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  immortal. 
I  did  not  consider  that  I  had  any  positive  proof  of  the  im 
mortality  of  man ;  but  now  I  have  the  positive  evidence  in 
my  own  person,  and  as  we  are  actually  returning  to  earth,  and 
even  now,  I  can  see  my  own  door,  of  course,  I  can  doubt  no 
longer  that  the  spirit  of  man  returns. 

"True,"  answered  Voncelora,  "but  if  you  had  followed 
your  inclination,  instead  of  my  advice,  you  never  would 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  55 

have  known,  by  actual  experience,  that  spirits  did  return. 
They  might  have  told  you  so,  but  if  you  did  not  experience 
it  in  your  own  person,  by  what  right  would  you  positively 
know  it?" 

"And  now,  let  us  go  in  and  look  at  the  body,  that  was 
once  yours,  for  the  last  time ;  for  to-morrow  they  bury  it, 
and  every  spirit  should  look  upon  its  own  body,  before  it  is 
put  beneath  the  ground;  for  a  spirit  does  not  care  to  pene 
trate  below  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  a  decaying  body  is 
very  disgustful  to  the  spirit  that  once  inhabited  it.  A  man's 
body  is  very  repulsive  to  him,  when  once  he  is  out  of  it,  and 
it  is  very  trying  to  him,  to  see  his  friends  weeping  and  mourn 
ing  over  the  filthy,  worn  out  piece  of  cold  clay — very  trying 
to  his  bright,  light,  happy  self,  that  has  just  found 
immortality." 

And  as  he  said  these  words,  we  entered  the  house  and  the 
room  where  my  dead  body  lay.  No  one  happened  to  be  in 
the  room  at  this  moment,  and  we  approached  and  looked 
into  the  coffin.  I  looked  at  the  form  that  lay  there,  for  a  few 
seconds,  and  then  turned  away  with  a  sick  disgust.  Oh ! 
how  glad,  how  happy  I  was,  to  think,  I  was  out  of  it  forever. 
I  never  looked  upon  it  again.  I  never  wanted  to. 

We  now  turned  our  attention  to  the  inmates  of  the  house. 
She,  that  had  been  my  wife,  was  there.  She  was  sorrow 
ing  a  little,  but  never  gave  one  thought  to  anything  beyond 
my  earthly  form.  Truly,  I  thought,  it  was  that  body  which 
was  married,  and  not  myself;  and  when  that  is  put  out  of  her 


56  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

sight,  I  am  dead  to  her  henceforth  and  forever.  My  duty 
and  mission  to  her  is  done.  My  next  thought  was  of  my 
children.  One  by  one,  I  visited  them,  They  were  all  dear 
to  me,  and  I  greatly  desired  to  benefit  them  in  some  way.  I 
turned  to  Voncelora,  saying;  my  children  are  very  near  my 
heart,  I  would  that  I  could  take  away  all  their  sorrows,  and 
make  them  happy.  Dear  friend,  can  you  show  me  how  I  may 
be  able  to  do  this  ? 

"Your  children  will  have  to  bear  their  own  sorrows,  as 
you  have  had  to  bear  yours,"  he  answered. 

But  I  can  now  see,  that  I  have  been  more  or  less,  the 
cause  of  much  of  their  sorrow. 

'•Yes ;  and  ignorance  and  error  is  the  direct  cause  of  all 
sorrow  and  pain.  If  you  had  been  possessed  of  all  wisdom 
yourself,  dear  Herfronzo,  you  could  have  taught  your  children 
how  to  be  happy." 

I  lingered  over  one  dear  boy,  longer  than  any  of  the 
others.  He  had  been  a  very  talented  and  gifted  youth ;  the 
pride  of  my  life — a  noble  generous  boy — too  generous  for  his 
own  good.  My  first  wife  had  been  his  mother.  He  was  now 
a  man  in  the  prime  of  life.  Voncelora  and  I  approached  him, 
by  some  method  not  then  understood  by  me,  Voncelora  drew 
aside  the  veil  that  rested  between  myself  and  this  child's 
soul,  or  spirit,  and  I  was  greatly  surprised  to  find  my  son,  so 
different  from  what  I  had  ever  supposed  him  to  be.  Not  that 
I  found  his  talents  less,  but  more  than  I  had  ever  dreamed  he 
possessed ;  and  as  his  spirit  stood  exposed  to  my  view,  I 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  57 

could  see  that  he  was  far— very  far— my  superior  in  all 
things.  I  had  tried  to  instil  into  this  boy's  mind,  my  own 
materialistic  views ;  but  they  never  found  root  or  lodgement 
there.  He  had  drifted  about  on  the  sea  of  opinion,  for  many 
years ;  but  had  eventually  made  up  his  mind,  that  there  was 
a  life  after  the  death  of  the  body,  and  that  the  spirit  of  man 
could  return  to  earth  and  influence  those  yet  in  the  body. 
On  making  this  discovery,  I  was  highly  delighted;  yet  I  had 
known  that  he  thought  something  like  this,  before  I 
passed  into  the  higher  life ;  but  we  had  never  talked  much 
on  the  subject. 

"Now,"  said  Voncelora,  "we  will  return.  This  is  the  first 
step  in  the  work  that  lies  before  you ;  but  my  dear  Herfronzo 
you  must  become  extremely  wise  yourself,  before  you  can 
teach  this  man,  your  son." 

I  looked  at  Voncelora,  and  then  at  the  uncovered  spirit 
of  my  son.  The  great  resemblance  between  the  two,  struck 
me  as  being  very  singular.  Voncelora  noticed  my  astonish 
ment  and  smiled ;  laying  his  hand  at  the  same  time  on  the 
shoulder  of  my  son,  and  standing  side  by  side  with  him. 

Merciful  heavens!  What  a  likeness!  They  were  pre 
cisely  of  the  same  height— the  same  complexion— the  same 
full,  dark  blue  eyes— the  same  bright  beard.  They  were 
proportioned  very  nearly  alike ;  and  as  Voncelora's  beautiful 
white  hand  rested  on  my  son's  shoulder,  I  noticed  the  peculi 
arity  of  its  shape.  My  son's  hand  had  always  been  a  very 
peculiar  one ;  and  here  it  was,  over  again,  in  the  hand  of 


58  THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y.  * 

Voncelora.  I  was  greatly  mystified.  What  a  striking  resem 
blance!  How  very  strange!  Yet  one  was  a  spirit  and  the 
other  in  mortal  flesh. 

Do  you  know,  dear  Voncelora,  I  said,  that  my  son's  spirit 
as   you    now   reveal   it   to   me,   is    almost   a  fac-simile    of 

yourself  ? 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "and  that  is  why  I  so  reveal  it." 
"I  am  your  son's  guardian  spirit;  and  have  been  for  many 
years.  He  is,  and  has  been  far  more  to  me,  than  he  ever 
was  or  will  be  to  you ;  but  you  being  his  father,  shall  help 
me  in  my  work  with  him ;  and  remember,  Herfronzo,  we  have 
no  common  person  to  deal  with.  His  body  was  directly  pro 
pagated  by  yourself.  His  soul  belongs  tome  by  right  of 
near  kinship.  And  now,  Herfronzo,  let  us  go.  Katrina 
awaits  us."  And  so  we  swiftly  passed  upward  to  the  im 
mortal  country. 


XII. 

THE  LAKE. 

EFORE  we  reached  the  glen,  we  were  met  by  Katrina 
and  Fraiilein  Helene.  They  wore  wide  hats,  their 
hands  were  filled  with  flowers,  their  cheeks  glowed, 
their  eyes  sparkled.  The  dogs  were  bounding  and  frolicking 
about  them.  Katrina  hastened  to  meet  Voncelora,  with  out 
stretched  hands.  He  clasped  her  to  his  heart  and  kissed  her, 
again  and  again.  She  laid  her  bright  face  against  his 
shoulder. 

"We  are  not  often  separated,"  he  said,  turning  to  me. 
"We  will  rest  awhile  at  the  cottage  and  then  we  will  find 
something  more  to  interest  us." 

And  so  he  walked  rapidly  on,  with  one  arm  thrown  fondly 
around  his  Katrina's  lovely  form.  Fraiilein  Helene  and  I, 
were  left  far  behind;  and  I  loitered  still  more,  for  I  wanted 
to  be  alone  with  Helene.  I  offered  her  my  arm.  She 
accepted  it.  I  gazed  into  the  lovely  face.  Her  eyes  were 
downcast  and  her  hand  trembled  a  little,  as  it  rested  on  my 
arm.  There  was  something  inexplicable  about  her.  I  was 
greatly  attracted  and  should  have  given  her  my  heart  at  once 
if  it  had  not  been  for  my  dreams  at  the  time  I  slept.  Earth, 
and  all  its  troubles  and  cares,  now  seemed  very  far  awayi 
and  I  do  not  know  as  ever  I  should  have  wanted  to  return  to 
it  again,  but  for  the  remembrance  of  that  dear  son,  whom  I 


60  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

had  just  left.  He  seemed  to  be  the  one  link  that  bound  me  to 
the  dark  and  unhappy  earth.  I  knew  the  lady  whom  I  had 
loved  was  in  this  beautiful  world  somewhere  and  this  kept  me 
from  making  love  to  the  Fraiilein.  I  could  not  forget  that 
noble  woman.  Her  image  was  constantly  before  me.  I  must 
try  and  find  her.  The  love  that  I  once  bore  her  seemed 
purified  and  intensified.  I  wondered  why  she  had  not  met 
me  ?  for  she  had  promised  me  this  much  when  in  the  earth- 
life.  And  so,  Helene  and  I  walked  slowly  on. 

Voncelora  and  Katrina,  had  long  since  disappeared  within 
the  cottage ;  but  I  did  not  wish  to  enter  the  cottage  at  present. 
I  thought  that  Voncelora  might  like  to  be  alone  with  his 
Katrina ;  and  I  think  Helene  thought  so  too.  We  wandered 
on,  until  we  came  to  a  little  dell,  and  before  us  lay  a  placid 
lake  in  miniature.  Its  banks  were  green  and  mossy,  and  its 
surface  was  dotted  here  and  there  with  pure  white  lilies.  A 
little  boat  lay  moored  to  the  shore,  her  white  sails  all  spread 
to  catch  the  breeze. 

Fraiilein  Helene,  I  said,  suppose  we  take  a  sail  in  that 
little  boat,  yonder.  We  may  do  so  if  we  like,  may  we  not? 

"Oh  yes,"  she  answered.  "That  little  ship  belongs  to  me, 
and  I  sail  in  her  whenever  I  like." 

We  went  down  the  gently  sloping  bank,  and  got  into  the 
boat.  Taking  our  seats,  I  weighed  the  little  anchor.  A 
gentle  breeze  caught  our  sails  and  the  boat  glided  out  upon 
the  placid  water.  Helene's  soft  dark  eyes  sought  my  face ; 
and  as  her  glance  met  mine,  it  thrilled  me,  through 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  61 

through.  I  thought  I  should  like  to  know  more  about  this 
lovely  being. 

Fraiilein,  I  said,  you  have  been  in  this  world  for  some 
time,  have  you  not? 

"About  six  months,"  she  replied. 

I  suppose  you  have  learned  a  great  deal  in  that  length  of 
time? 

"Yes,"  she  answered,  softly,  "  I  have  learned  much." 

"Were  you  happy,  on  the  earth,  below? 

"Oh,  no,"  she  said.  "Perhaps,  as  happy  as  most 
people ;  but  I  was  very  thankful  when  the  time  came  for  me 
to  lay  my  body  down^  and  take  up  my  life  in  this  heavenly 
land,  where  there  is  no  more  death,  and  where  all  wrongs  are 
shortly  righted." 

Did  you  suffer  much  wrong  in  the  earth-life,  Helene  ? 

"Yes,"  she  answered.  "I  lived  there  for  more  than  sixty 
years,  unappreciated,  unloved.  My  life  was  filled  with  care 
and  trouble  and  much  toil ;  but  my  reward  here,  awaits  me." 

"You  say,  it  awaits  you.  Have  you  not  entered  into  your 
reward  yet  ?  "No,"  she  softly  said,  "but  the  blessing  for 
which  I  have  waited  so  long,  is  about  to  descend  upon  me." 

A  sigh  escaped  my  lips ;  for  I  was  thinking  of  the  woman 
whom  I  had  loved  for  so  many  years — loved  with  such  a 
yearning  affection — and  yet,  the  streams  of  our  lives  must 
run  apart. 

Fraulein  Helene,  I  said,  I  would  like  to  make  a  confidant 
of  you,  and  perhaps  you  can  help  me.  I  dreamed  when  I 


62  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

slept,  of  one  whom  I  loved  for  many  years  in  the  earth-life. 
I  dreamed  that  we  met  in  this  land,  and  were  united ;  and 
hand  in  hand  we  roamed  through  this  vast  and  beautiful 
country,  gathering  wisdom  at  every  step  we  took.  Dear 
Fraiilein  Helene,  have  you  ever  met  this  lady  ?  for  I  do  not 
know  how  to  find  her.  She  promised  me  that  she  would 
await  my  coming,  and  be  the  first  to  meet  me,  if— as  she  was 
sure — there  was  another  life.  But  I  have  not  seen  her,  and 
feel  very  much  disappointed.  I  cannot  keep  her  out  of  my 
thoughts.  Oh  !  I  would  that  I  could  see  her! 

"You  have  not  met  many  people  here  yet,"  she  answered, 
"but tell  me  the  lady's  name,  and  how  she  looked?" 

Her  name— her  name  was  Mrs. — Mrs.  Bancroft. 

"Oh,  her  given  name,  I  meant." 

"Her  given  name— let  me  see  if  I  can  remember — I  do  not 
think  I  ever  heard  it  called  more  than  once  or  twice.  Yes,  I 
remember  now,  it  was  Ellen.  She  was  of  German  parentage, 
and  must  in  her  youth,  have  been  called  Fraulein  Helene. 

A  little  shock  went  through  me,  as  Helene's  great  dark 
eyes  met  my  own. 

"And  tell  me,  my  friend,  how  did  she  look  ?  Was  she 
beautiful  ?" 

She  looked  very  beautiful  to  me,  I  answered,  for  I  loved 
her  very  much  ;  it  was  her  soul  I  loved,  and  not  her  body;  and 
yet,  I  think  her  body  was  very  comely.  When  I  first  became 
acquainted  with  her,  she  was  a  lady  somewhat  past  forty ; 
the  mother  of  quite  a  number  of  children.  She  was  a  second 


THE  DISCOVERED  COU2WRY.  63 

wife.  Her  husband  was  a  merchant  in  good  circumstances. 
His  wife  saw  but  very  little  of  him.  She  often  told  me  that 
her  husband  was  almost  a  stranger  to  her,  she  saw  him  so 
seldom,  and  there  was  no  such  thing  as  love  between  them. 
I  gave  music  lessons  to  this  lady's  daughters  for  about  ten 
years ;  then  they  married,  and  I  had  no  more  occasion  to 
visit  at  the  house,  and  so  lost  sight  of  her ;  but  her  image 
never  left  my  heart.  No, — not  for  one  moment ;  and  now 
that  I  am  here,  she  is  my  first  thought. 

"Do  you  think  you  would  recognize  her,  if  you  were  to  see 
her  here?" 

T  think  I  should,  I  replied.  She  must  be  now  over  sixty. 
She  was  quite  fleshy  and  matronly  in  her  appearance,  her 
eyes  were  very  dark,  her  hair  was  somewhat  gray,  but  her 
expression  was  one  of  goodness  and  refinement  combined. 

The  Fraulein  remained  silent ;  which  caused  me  to  look 
at  her  inquiringly.  I  thought  her  the  most  beautiful  creature 
I  had  ever  seen.  Slight  and  extremely  graceful;  not  more 
than  twenty  in  her  appearance.  Her  great  dark  eyes 
reminded  me  of  a  soft  starlight  night.  Her  complexion  was 
creamy,  her  cheeks  the  color  of  a  blush  rose.  Her  soft  dark 
hair  was  not  now  confined  as  it  had  been  at  dinner,  but  was 
floating  around  her,  like  a  dark  cloud,  the  breeze  catching  it 
up  and  waving  it  to  and  fro.  Her  beautiful  white  hands 
lay  listlessly  upon  her  lap,  her  broad  hat  had  fallen  at  her 
feet.  Her  dress  was  soft  and  flowing,  nearly  white,  just 
tinged  with  green.  I  wanted  to  fall  at  her  feet  and  wor- 


64  •  THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y. 

ship    her;    but  thoughts   of  that   other-one   restrained   me. 

Presently,  she  again  raised  her  large,  pleading  eyes  to  my 
face — she  stretched  forth  her  beautiful  hands,  which  were 
as  white  as  the  lilies  resting  upon  the  bosom  of  the  lake. 

"Herfronzo  !  Dear — dearest  Herfronzo  !  Do  you  not 
recognize  your  Helene  ?" 

Her  voice  had  a  little  pleading  wail  in  it. 
Oh,  merciful  heavens  !  Could  this  beautiful,  youthful,  ex 
quisite  creature,  be  the  matronly,  somewhat  plain  Mrs.  Ban 
croft,  that  I  had  known  and  loved  in  the  earth-life  ?  that  I 
still  loved,  but  never  dreamed  of  finding  her  in  this  beautiful 
guise.  For  a  moment  or  two,  I  sat  like  one  stunned ;  and 
then,  with  a  great  cry  of  joy,  I  clasped  her  in  my  arms. 

Yes,  it  was  she !  It  came  home  to  my  soul  all  at  once. 
How  blind  I  had  been.  I  might  have  known  she  would  be 
changed,  and  yet,  I  had  thought  of  her  as  meeting  me, 
looking  very  much  as  she  did  the  last  time  I  saw  her. 

"Herfronzo,  dear  Herfronzo !  I  have  kept  my  promise. 
I  have  known  from  the  first,  every  movement  you  have  made. 
I  met  you,  as  soon  as  I  thought  I  could  consistently  do  so, 
and  I  have  waited  patiently  all  this  time  to  be  recognized. 
Darling !  I  could  wait  no  longer.  The  only  man  I  ever  loved,  or 
ever  shall  love,  or  ever  can  love ;  my  other  self  ;  my  count 
erpart  ;  the  other  half  of  my  own  soul !"  "And  now,  dear 
est  Herfronzo,  we  are  an  angel ;  whereas  before  this,  we  were 
but  spirits,  separate  beings,  and  not  a  whole,  or  unit;  and  none 
can  become  angels  until  they  are  made  whole." 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y.  65 

I  listened  to  her  like  one  entranced ;    then,  I  at  last  said ; 

Voncelora  is  an  angel  ? 

"Oh,  yes,"  she  answered,  "he  has  been  an  angel  for  many 
years." 

Tell  me,  Helene,  who  was  Voncelora  in  the  earth-life?" 

•'Dearest  Herfronzo,"  she  answered,  "I  will  not  forestall 
him.  If  he  has  not  already  revealed  himself  to  you,  he  has 
good  reasons  for  not  doing  so,  and  it  is  not  my  place  to  thwart 
them.  Be  patient,  my  darling,  for  no  one  need  hurry  here  in 
this  world." 

Oh,  Helene,  I  said,  I  feel,  now  that  we  are  united  once 
more,  as  though  my  progress  in  wisdom  would  be  very  rapid. 

"Yes,  dear  Herfronzo,"  she  replied,  "no  man  can  be  wise 
without  love,  and  no  woman  can  truly  love  and  not  be  wise, 
they  must  go  hand  in  hand  together." 

Then,  this  was  the  meaning  of  the  figures  I  saw  in  the 
arched  way,  as  I  entered  this  life  with  the  angel,  true  love, 
clasping  hands  with  wisdom.  Our  little  boat  had  now 
touched  the  shore. 

"Dear  love,"  said  Helene  as  we  landed,  "it  is  not  neces 
sary  that  we  go  back  to  stay  with  Voncelora  and  Katrina  any 
more ;  in  fact  it  would  not  be  proper  for  us  to  do  so.  Each 
angel,  here,  live  by  themselves.  We  may  visit  the  angel 
Voncelora,  but  we  may  not  reside  with  him.  It  was  for  my 
sake,  he  took  you  in,  and  it  was  I,  that  bade  the  receiving 
angel  leave  you  at  the  door  of  the  cottage." 

Who  was  the  receiving  angel,  that  fetched  my  spirit  hither  ? 


66  THE  DISCOVERED  COUN1RY. 

"It  really  was  Voncelora  and  Katrina,  that  received  your 
spirit,  and  I  was  really  with  them,  leading  the  way,  but  invisi 
ble  to  you — for  we  all  thought  it  best — as  you  were  not  then 
prepared  to  recognize  me,  and  be  united  to  me." 

But,  Helene,  I  said,  is  there  no  kind  of  marriage  cere 
mony  here?  Do  we  just  live  together  and  unite  ourselves? 

"We  will  talk  of  this  at  some  future  time,"  she  answered, 
gently,  "just  now,  you  shall  be  my  guest  if  you  desire  it. 
Come,  dearest  Herfronzo,  this  is  my  home  for  the  present. 
Come,  and  we  will  dine  together." 


XIII. 

HELENE'S  VILLA. 

©UR  little  ship  was  now  wafted  to  the  shore,  and 
we  walked  up  a  pebbly  beach;  but  the  pebbles 
were  like  so  many  jewels,  and  as  we  walked  along  the 
shining  shore,  I  could  distinguish  saphires,  rubies,  topaz's, 
emeralds,  pearls,  diamonds,  opals,  garnets,  and  every  valu 
able  and  beautiful  jewel  that  I  had  ever  seen,  and  the  sand 
appeared  to  be  of  silver  and  gold.  I  thought  of  that  heaven, 
which  the  Christian's  believe  in.  But  even  this  little  shore, 
lined  with  jewels  of  untold  value,  was  far  more  beautiful ; 
and  my  Helene  was  all  my  own — my  affianced — my  bride. 
This  was  far  better  than  the  other  heaven,  for  there  they 
were  supposed  not  to  marry,  or  be  given  in  marriage ;  and  I 
had  always  thought  that  I  should  prefer  not  to  go  to  that 
heaven,  for  it  would  be  a  most  lonely  and  unnatural  life — 
loving  every  body  just  the  same,  all,  clothed  alike,  in 
long  white  robes,  walking  about  streets  of  gold  praising 
God;  and  he  forever  seated  on  a  great  white  throne — 
whether  he  ever  descended  from  that  throne  did  not  appear. 
But  this  was  the  reality;  and  oh;  how  much  better  I  liked  it. 

"Look!  Dear  Herfronzo,"  said  Helene,  "that  is  my 
home." 

I  looked  and  a  beautiful  valley  lay  smiling  before  me.  A 
shining  highway  ran  through  this  valley.  The  lake  over 
whose  bosom  we  had  just  sailed  was  its  western  boundary ; 
in  the  east,  green  undulating  hills  appeared.  The  valley  was 


68  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

dotted  here  and  there  with  beautiful  villas,  erected  after  the 
most  fanciful  styles.  Many  of  the  villas  were  white  with 
azure  domes  and  golden  cupolas.  The  shining  porches  were 
twined  with  honeysuckle  and  roses ;  and  all  manner  of  beau 
tiful  flowers  bloomed  in  the  gardens.  Fountains  and  white 
statuary  gleamed  through  the  green  and  perfect  trees. 

Helene  pointed  to  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  these  little 
villas,  saying.  "That  is  to  be  our  home  for  the  present,  dear 
est  Herfronzo."  And  we  paused  a  moment  before  entering, 
for  I  wished  to  observe  it.  It  was  a  beautiful  little  edifice,  a 
fitting  home  for  my  lovely  Helene.  Three  pearly  steps  led  up 
to  an  arched  doorway.  The  door  itself  glistened  with  dia 
monds.  The  house  was  laid  in  blocks  of  polished  marble ; 
the  windows  were  very  quaint  and  of  stained  glass.  It  was 
crowned  with  an  azure  roof  and  golden  cupola. 

We  entered  an  exquisitely  appointed  room. 

I  was  somewhat  weary  after  my  visit  to  earth;  she 
seemed  to  know  this  without  my  speaking  of  it ;  she  pointed 
to  an  elegant  lounge,  saying.  "Rest  there  for  a  short  time, 
dearest  Herfronzo,  whilst  I  go  and  prepare  the  dinner. 

You  do  not  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  prepare  the  dinner 
with  your  own  hands?  I  said,  in  some  surprise.  "Certainly, 
I  do."  she  answered.  "If  your  dinner  was  not  prepared  by 
me,  by  whom  should  it  be  prepared  ? 

Beautiful  ladies,  like  yourself,  on  the  earth,  keep  servants 
I  said.  They  would  consider  it  degrading  to  do  menial 
service. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  69 

''To  prepare  a  dinner  for  you,  is  not  menial  service,"  she 
answered.  "No  service  can  be  too  great  for  us  to  render 
those  whom  we  love,  we  serve  each  other  for  love  in  this 
world,  and  we  have  no  paid  hirelings." 

And  are  you  the  only  one  that  loves  me  in  this  life  ?  I 
asked.  Not  that  her  love  did  not  fill  my  being  and  satisfy 
me  completely,  but  I  had  many  relatives  here  and  thought 
that  some  of  them  ought  to  meet  me. 

"Oh,  no  my  darling;  I  am  not  the  only  one;  there  is 
not  an  angel  in  this  life  but  what  loves  you ;  but  my  love 
exceeds  all  other  love,  and  it  is  my  privilege  to  prepare  food 
that  you  may  eat  and  your  hungry  spirit  be  satisfied 
therewith." 

She  now  left  me  to  myself  for  a  short  time,  and  I  lay 
pondering  on  all  that  I  had  seen  and  heard.  I  experienced 
a  delightful  feeling  of  supreme  rest  and  satisfaction.  I  was 
here  alone,  in  an  elegant  spiritual  home,  with  the  woman  of 
all  others  that  I  had  most  loved  in  the  earth-life.  She  was 
now  youthful  and  beautiful  beyond  anything  I  had  ever 
dreamed.  The  house  seemed  to  be  just  large  enough  for 
two ;  or,  as  they  had  told  me,  the  rightful  male  and  female 
were  one  angel.  Everything  was  quiet,  peaceful  and  rest 
ful.  No  servants,  no  toil. 

I  started  up — but  Helene  must  be  toiling  if  she  were  pre 
paring  the  dinner  herself,  and  while  she  was  toiling,  I  was 
lying  here  at  rest — I  would  find  her  and  help  her — and 
then,  an  inner  voice  whispered  to  me — but  you  have  toiled 


70  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

back  to  earth,  that  was  hard  work,  and  you  are  weary,  rest- 
rest.  You  can  help  your  Helene  at  another  time.  So,  in  a 
delightful  trance  of  peace  and  rest  I  fell  asleep.  I  cannot  say 
how  long  I  slept ;  but  I  felt  a  soft  hand  on  my  arm,  and  open 
ing  my  eyes,  Helene  was  bending  over  me. 

"Come,  dear  Herfronzo,  our  dinner  is  ready." 
I  rose  to  my  feet.      Her  sweet  lips  met  mine   in  a  fond 
kiss,  and  taking  my  hand,  she  led  me  forth,  and  crossing  the 
hall  we  entered  the  neat  little  dining  room. 

If  Katrina's  dining  room  had  been  beautiful,  this  was  far 
more  so ;  and  we  took  our  seats  at  a  little  table  just  large 
enough  for  two.  The  table  was  spread  with  a  snowy  cloth ; 
a  silver  fountain  stood  in  the  centre,  containing  wine  and 
water;  there  was  pure  white  bread  and  grapes;  this  was 
all.  I  had  already  discovered  that  spirits  ate  nothing  but 
bread  and  fruit,  and  I  had  gradually  lost  all  sense  of  hunger, 
such  as  one  feels  when  in  the  body;  for  I  no  longer  had  a 
material  body  to  sustain.  Helene's  lovely  eyes  looked  into 
mine,  and  I  read  there,  immortal,  imperishable  love, — the 
love  that  I  had  always  longed  and  yearned  for,  but  never 
found  until  I  found  my  Helene.  And,  as  her  gentle  gaze 
met  mine  again,  and  again,  a  strength  and  power  seized  me, 
and  I  felt  as  though  I  could  scale  the  mountain  heights  of  all 
wisdom ;  for  now,  true  love  was  at  last  mine ;  and  love  and 
wisdom,  equally  balanced,  is  the  great  lever  that  moves  all 
heavenly  and  spiritual  life. 


XIV. 

HELENE'S  STORY. 

TJ'ELENE,  I  said,  tell  me  something  of  yourself.  I  heard 
[  incidentally  that  you  were  dead,  and  that  is  all  I  have 
J  known  about  you  for  many  years.  Tell  me,  dear,  did 
you  suffer  much  before  you  left  the  body? 

"I  did  not  suffer  any  in  the  act  of  dying,  but  I  suffered 
much,  physically  and  mentally,  for  some  months  before  my 
departure." 

"My  children  were  all  married  and  scattered;  one  here 
and  one  there ;  my  husband's  one  thought  was  the  getting  of 
money,  although  we  were  far,  very  far,  above  want,  he  being 
already  a  millionaire."  I  had  begged  him  for  some  few  years 
before  my  departure,  to  give  up  business  and  take  me  abroad. 
I  longed  to  see  more  of  the  world  in  which  I  lived;  and  I 
thought  if  he  were  more  with  me,  he  would  learn  to  love  me ; 
and  my  heart  thirsted  for  love.  But  he  would  not  listen  for 
an  instant  to  my  wishes.  He  always  had  one  answer  for  me. 
First  of  all,  he  said,  he  could  not  afford  it;  and  he  would  not 
give  up  business  until  he  was  worth  at  least  five  million. 


72  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

He  considered  that  he  was  still,  a  poor  man.  He  thought  I 
might  stop  my  whining  and  sit  still  and  do  nothing,  without 
troubling  him  with  my  complaints.  He  had  married  me 
when  I  was  a  poor  girl.  He  considered  that  he  had  con 
ferred  a  great  favor  upon  me  by  so  doing.  I  had  sometimes 
told  him  that  I  longed  for  his  affection— that  I  was  dying  for 
want  of  love— which  seemed  to  make  him  very  angry,  and  he 
would  say.  "Are  you  not  comfortable?  Do  you  want  for 
anything  that  I  do  not  provide  for  you  ?  How  silly  for  a 
woman  of  your  age,  to  talk  about  love;"  and,  perhaps,  we 
would  not  see  each  other  again  for  some  weeks,  he  having  a 
suite  of  rooms  by  himself,  and  taking  his  breakfast  in  his  own 
rooms.  He  dined  at  a  fashionable  hotel,  and  did  not  return 
home  till  late  in  the  evening,  when  he  would  go  directly  to 
his  own  rooms ;  and  thus,  my  life  passed  in  sorrow  and  lone 
liness,  until  one  morning  my  body  was  found,  but  my  spirit 
had  escaped." 

"Mr.  Bancroft  now,  is  about  to  marry  a  young  girl ;  and 
it  will  be  another  miserable,  loveless  marriage.  I  have  visited 
earth  a  great  many  times  since  I  have  been  here,  and  find  that 
the  young  lady  whom  he  is  to  marry,  does  not  love  him  in  the 
least;  but  her  parents  desire  her  to  marry  him  for  his  money, 
and  the  position  it  will  give  her  m  society;  and  she  is  noth 
ing  loth ;  yet,  at  the  same  time  she  secretly  loves  another ; 
and  that  other  will  be  broken  hearted  on  the  day  that  she 
marries  Mr.  Bancroft.  Mr.  Bancroft  imagines  he  loves  the 
young  lady.  But  it  is  not  love.  It  flatters  his  vanity  to 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  73 

think,  that  he,  an  old  man,  can  marry  a  young  girl.  He  is 
too  blind  to  see,  that  she  marries  him  solely  for  his  money; 
and  not  for  anything  that  is  good  or  noble  in  himself.  I  pity 
them  both ;  for  she  will  lead  a  loveless  life  unless  she  is  false 
to  Mr.  Bancroft ;  and  Mr.  Bancroft's  soul  will  become  more, 
and  more  withered,  as  time  goes  on ;  and  when  he  comes  to 
this  life,  his  spirit  will  be  very  much  distorted." 

"Dearest  Herfronzo,"  she  said,  as  she  passed  me  the 
bread  and  rilled  my  goblet  with  red  wine,  "if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  few  hours  that  I  occasionly  passed  in  your  society, 
whilst  you  were  giving  lessons  to  my  daughters,  and  after 
wards  would  stay  a  short  time  and  converse  with  me,  I  never 
should  have  known  the  meaning  of  the  word  love,  during  my 
earthly  life." 

"My  poor  Helene,  I  said,  my  heart  used  to  bleed  for  you, 
and  if  it  had  been  possible  to  either  of  us,  you  never  should 
have  led  that  suffering,  loveless  life. 

"Herfronzo,"  she  said,  "if  I  had  then  known  what  I  now 
know,  and  had  been  sure  of  it,  my  sufferings  would  have  been 
greatly  lessened ;  yet,  I  had  a  secret  hope  that  buoyed  me  up 
considerably;  and  it  was,  that  I  should  be  permitted  to  meet 
you  after  death,  and  possibly,  we  might  then  be  together ;  but 
it  was  a  dim,  far  off  hope  to  me,  and  I  knew  not  whether  it 
would  be  so,  or  not.  Oh !  the  reality,  as  I  have  found  it, 
surpasses  all  my  dreams.  Herfronzo,  my  darling,  I  have 
been  with  you  every  day  since  I  came  to  this  life ;  and  I  have 
only  left  you  long  enough  to  learn  how  to  prepare  a  place, 


74  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

and  happiness  for  you:  Voncelora  and  Katrina  have  been 
my  teachers.  Spirits  are  usually  placed  within  schools  but 
the  angel  Voncelora,  knew  that  you  would  soon  join  us  here 
and  his  love  and  interest  in  you,  led  him  to  take  a  deep  in 
terest  in  me ;  and  so  they  have  spent  much  of  their  time  in 
teaching  me  that  which  I  ought  to  know.  We  have  visited 
earth  every  day  together,  and  whilst  I  was  lingering  near  you, 
Voncelora  and  Katrina  hovered  near  your  son  Karl.  I  too, 
sometimes  lingered  near  him,  for  he  interested  me  greatly." 

My  dearest  Helene,  I  said,  you  will  now  teach  me  all  that 
you  have  learned  since  you  have  been  in  this  life,  I  am  very 
eager  to  know  all  that  may  be  known. 

"Yes,  I  will  teach  you  all  that  I  have  learned  since  coming 
here ;  and  then,  hand  in  hand,  we  shall  spend  an  eternity 
together,  learning  all  there  is  to  know ;  for  this  I  have  learned 
since  coming  here — that  every  soul  in  existence  has  a  mate, 
or  counterpart ;  the  actual  other  half  of  itself ;  and  until  they 
are  reunited  as  a  whole  or  perfect  being,  they  can  never  be 
really  happy,  or  make  much  progress  in  wisdom.  Until  love 
and  wisdom  are  united,  truth  cannot  come  to  light,  and  error 
and  darkness  reign." 

Dearest  Helene,  do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  you  and  I  are 
the  actual  halves  that  make  the  perfect  whole  ?  Is  this  one 
of  the  things  that  you  have  learned  since  you  came  here  ? 

"Yes,"  she  answered,  her  face  lighting  up  in  a  heavenly 
smile.  "This  I  have  learned  beyond  all  peradventure  1" 

Oh,  Helene  1  Helene,  my  darling !  How  supremely  happy 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y  75 

and  blest  your  words  make  me;  for  I  could  desire  no  greater 
joy  than  to  work  and  learn  with  you.  But,  what  proof,  what 
evidence  have  you  that  this  is  really  the  case,  and  that  we  can 
not  be  mistaken  ? 

"You  are  the  same  Herfronzo  that  you  were  in  the  earth- 
life,"  she  said,  with  a  sweet  smile.  "You  must  have  pos 
itive  proof  of  all  things,  or,  you  will  not  believe." 

Dearest  He^ene,  I  said,  it  is  not  that  I  do  not  wish  it  to 
be  so ;  it  is  not  that  I  do  not  love  you  above  all  other 
women,  and  greatly  desire  that  it  should  be  so;  but  my  mind 
is  so  constructed  that  I  cannot  accept  anything  on  faith.  I 
must  have  evidence.  I  could  not  have  faith  in  a  life  after 
death,  because  I  had  no  actual  proof  of  it ;  but  now  that  I  have 
experienced  it,  the  evidence  is  incontrovertible.  My  dear 
Helene,  I  desire  evidence  of  things  here,  just  the  same  as  I 
did  there.  I  cannot  take  everything  for  granted  without 
proof. 

"Well,"  she  answered,  "as  I  am  the  other  half  of  your 
self,  I  knew  all  this  before;  and  have,  therefore,  pre 
pared  myself  with  all  the  proof  necessary.  When  I  was  a 
little  girl  and  went  to  school,  I  used  to  do  a  plain  sum  in 
arithmetic,  and  then  prove  it  by  another  method ;  and  the 
sum  was  not  considered  perfect,  until  it  stood  this  double 
test.  Dear  Herfronzo,  our  mutual  and  unselfish  love  for  each 
other,  and  my  desire  to  wait  for  you  in  the  heavens,  and  your 
desire  to  meet  me  here,  and  our  perfect  fitness  for  each  other 
— the  fact,  that  no  other  has  awaited  you — the  fact,  that  your 


76  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

wife  on  the  earth  only  thinks  of  you  as  you  were  in  the  body, 
and  does  not  think  of  your  spirit  at  all — the  fact,  that  your  first 
wife  has  long  ago  been  united  to  her  own  otherself — and  dur 
ing  all  this  time  you  have  been  united  to  another  woman — 
the  fact  that  when  you  and  I  met  on  earth,  we  found  rest 
and  peace  in  each  other,  that  no  one  else  could  give — the 
fact,  that  when  we  met  our  minds  worked  together  in  perfect 
harmony  and  bright  truth  was  eliminated  by  the  contact. 
This  was  one  of  the  greatest  tests  that  we  could  know  while 
we  dwelt  in  the  earthly  sphere.  This  is  doing  the  plain  sum 
the  first  time.  Now  to  prove  the  sum  by  the  double  test. 
The  germs  of  eternal  truth  are  lying  dormant  within  every 
spiritual  being  that  exists.  Sound  your  own  soul,  dearest 
Herfronzo.  Sound  it  to  the  very  bottom,  and  if  you  can  con 
ceive,  within  the  remotest  corners  of  your  being,  of  a  female, 
that  you  think  would  in  any  way  suit,  or  fit  you  better,  then, 
I  am  not  your  soul's  counterpart.  But  the  one  that  you  can, 
even  in  the  remotest  depths  of  your  imagination,  place  before 
me,  or  think  she  would  excel  me  in  some  way,  then  that  one 
is  your  other  self,  or  your  soul's  counterpart.  Put  the  test  to 
your  own  soul,  my  darling !  Sound  it  again  and  again.  Take 
plenty  of  time.  You  do  not  have  to  search  the  spiritual 
spheres  outside  of  yourself.  You  are  not  obliged  to  meet  this 
spirit,  or  that  spirit,  or  innumerable  spirits,  and  try  to  make 
your  choice  from  them ;  the  image  of  your  counterpart  is  for 
ever  reflected  within  your  own  being.  Look  in  a  mirror,  my 
dearest  Herfronzo,  and  you  see  your  own  reflection.  You 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  77 

are  not  mistaken ;  you  know  it  to  be  the  reflection  of  yourself. 
Your  own  soul  is  a  mirror  in  which  your  other  self  is  reflected. 
It  is  reflected  perfectly.  There  is  no  mistake  about  it.  It 
cannot  make  a  mistake.  The  mirror,  which  is  your  own  soul 
is  perfect.  You  have  been  accustomed  in  earth-life  to  call 
this  reflection  the  ideal,  or,  your  beau-ideal,  and  people  talk 
very  glibly  about  their  beau-ideals,  never  dreaming  they  are 
striking  a  great  fundamental  truth;  and  you  have  often 
heard  them  say ;  "Oh!  a  person  never  can  attain  to  the  ideal ! 
Their  beau-ideal's  are  never  realized." 

"This  is  not  true,  my  dear ;  for  soul-mates  often  meet  in 
the  earth-life,  and  when  they  have  once  met,  they  can  never 
be  separated.  Their  earthly  bodies  may  be  separated  for  a 
season,  but  their  souls,  nevermore.  If  oceans  and  continents 
rise  up  between  them,  it  makes  no  difference ;  their  souls  will 
gravitate  together  as  naturally  as  the  apple  falls  to  the  ground ; 
for  there  is  a  law  of  soul  gravitation,  just  as  there  is  a  law  of 
material  gravitation,  and  one  cannot  possibly  keep  his  soul's 
counterpart  away  from  himself;  but,  like  the  apple,  they  do 
not  gravitate  together,  until  they  are  ripe ;  not,  when  they  are 
ignorant,  green  or  crude.  The  apple  does  not  fall  to  the 
ground,  until  it  is  ripe ;  neither  do  soul  counterparts  gravi 
tate  together  until  they  are  fitted  for  each  other." 

But,  my  dearest  Helene,  many  apples  fall  to  the  ground 
while  they  are  yet  very  imperfect. 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  "those  that  are  worm  eaten,  not  the 
sound  and  perfect  apple.  The  worm  eaten  may  represent 


78  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

those  that  passed  into  the  spiritual  world  while  they  were  yet 
infants  and  children." 

I  looked  in  astonishment  at  this  perfect  and  lovely  Helene. 
It  seemed  impossible  that  such  wisdom  could  issue  from  the  lips 
of  a  beautiful  girl,  that  did  not  look  more  than  twenty  years  of 
age ;  although  I  now  knew  her  to  be  a  spirit,  and  the  former 
Mrs.  Bancroft.  Yet,  Mrs.  Bancroft  of  old,  had  not  such 
heavenly  wisdom.  She  had  been  a  very  gentle,  and  sensi 
ble  lady,  and  I  had  loved  and  admired  her  greatly;  yet,  I  did 
not  at  that  time  understand  anything  about  soul-mating ;  but 
whenever  I  had  met  and  conversed  with  this  lady,  I  had 
never  felt  a  jar  of  any  kind;  it  had  always  made- me  happy 
and  my  burdens  easier  to  bear; 


XV. 

THE  UNIT. 

^TELENE,  I  said,  if  you  had  not  proved  your  sum  by  the 
[  double  test,  I  might  have  taken  exception  to  it;  but 
*  this  double  test  interests  me  greatly.  I  understand 
you  to  mean,  that  eternity  dwells  within  the  soul  of  man  as 
well  as  outside  of  it ;  and  when  he  turns  his  mind  inward,  and 
searches  the  depths  of  his  own  immortal  and  eternal  being, 
there,  he  may  find  reflected  the  image  of  his  other-self.  That 
is,  the  very  highest  of  the  high  ideal  that  he  can  possibly  im 
agine,  is  the  true  reflection  of  his  other-self ,  as  he  will  surely 
find  her  some  day,  on  earth,  or  in  the  heavens. 

"Precisely  so,  my  dearest  Herfronzo ;  but,  this  ideal  must 
fit  him  everywhere ;  that  is,  his  counterpart  must  fit  him  at 
all  points,  and  this  is  another  true  test ;  for  if  there  is  one 
spot  of  his  eternal  inner  being  that  is  left  unmatched,  uncov 
ered,  or  not  exactly  fitted,  then  he  has  not  found  his  other- 
self;  he  is  deceived  and  she  is  not  his  own;  there  is  but 


8o  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

one  soul  throughout  eternity  that  belongs  to  him.  For  as  he 
can  never  be  any  other  being  than  himself,  so  she,  his  other- 
self,  can  never  be  any  other  being  than  herself.  And  as  he 
can  never  be  anybody  but  himself,  which  to  all  must  be  a 
self-evident  truth,  so  the  other  half  of  himself  can  never  be 
any  other  than  the  other  half  of  himself."  "Now,  this 
is,  two  halves  make  one  whole,  and  is  too  simple  a  sum 
to  need  any  other  proof.  But,  if  children  in  wisdom  need 
any  other  proof  let  them  take  one  half,  and  then  a  quarter, 
and  try  to  make  a  whole;  they  will  find  that  instead  of 
a  whole,  or  perfect  thing,  they  have  only  got  three 
quarters,  and  not  a  whole ;  or.  they  cannot  match  a  half  with 
a  fragment ;  they  must  have  exactly  another  half  to  make  a 
unit — or  one."  Not  only  this,  but  the  true  halves  were 
one  from  the  beginning,  and  were  separated  into  two  forms 
that  they  might  take  on  material  substance — or,  a  mate 
rial  body  for  the  purpose  of  propagation  and  progression ; 
very  soon  after  leaving  their  bodies  behind,  they  are  again 
united  and  become  one  angel." 

"  My  dear  Herfronzo,  you  shall  remain  my  guest  as  long 
as  you  please,  until  you  are  fully  convinced  that  all  I  say  is 
true,  or  otherwise.  We  will  meet  in  the  parlor  and  converse 
together.  We  will  dine  together.  We  will  walk  and  sail  to 
gether.  We  will  visit  other  angels.  We  will  go  into  cities 
and  towns.  We  will  visit  the  earth  and  the  loved  ones  we 
have  left  there.  We  will  invite  Voncelora  and  Katrina  to 
dine  with  us  and  accompany  us  often.  You  shall  even  stay 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  81 

with  Voncelora  and  Katrina  if  you  prefer  ;  and  not  until  your 
own  soul  recognizes  the  truth  in  all  its  bearings,  and  you  are 
convinced,  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt,  that  I  am  really 
your  other-self,  will  we  unite  ourselves  more  than  this.  We 
will  be  the  same  as  lovers.  And  after  you  have  visited  these 
places,  and  you  have  seen  all  that  you  can  see  in  this  sphere— 
for  you  cannot  leave  it  until  you  are  an  angel,  as  this  is  the 
spiritual  and  not  the  angelic  sphere,  angels  may  come  here 
but  we  may  not  go  to  them  until  we  become  an  angel — if, 
after  all  this,  you  still  doubt,  then  we  will  not  be  united ; 
but,  if  you  are  thoroughly  convinced,  then  we  will  become  a 
very  angel  indeed." 

"Herfronzo,  you  never  could  accept  anything  on  faith; 
nature  does  not  design  that  you  shall,  and  you  must  prove  by 
actual  experience  all  that  I  have  said  in  this  respect." 

"I  certainly  match  you,  for  I  am  anxious  that  you  should 
prove  it  to  your  entire  satisfaction." 

•'When  we  were  in  the  earth-life,  you  doubted  immortal 
ity.  I  did  not;  and  you  have  now  found  that  I  was  right. 
I  am  the  spiritual  half  of  yourself,  and  the  spiritual  half  of 
man  reaches  upward  after  the  bread  of  life,  therefore,  dearest 
Herfronzo,  eat  of  the  bread  which  I  prepare  for  you." 

Helene,  when  I  become  convinced  that  all  you  say  is  true, 
will  there  be  some  one  to  perform  a  marriage  ceremony 
for  us  ? 

"No,  "  she  answered,  "there  is  no  such  thing  throughout  all 
the  heavens.  It  would  be  considered  sacrilegious  for  another 


82  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

angel  to  presume  to  unite  those  whom  God,  or  natural  law 
united  from  the  beginning;  or  those  that  were  created  as  one; 
it  would  appear  to  them  like  an  unmeaning  mummery,  or 
mockery." 

Our  dinner  was  over,  and  as  I  looked  out  from  the  back 
of  the  house,  a  beautiful  arbor  met  my  view.  It  looked  so 
shaded  and  retired  that  I  thought  I  should  like  to  go  there 
and  think  over  all  that  Helene  had  said,  and  so  I  went  and 
took  a  seat  within  it. 

Helene  remained  within  the  house.  She  had  said  that  if 
we  were  one,  time,  nor  eternity  could  not  separate  us,  and 
therefore  there  was  no  hurry.  I  should  have  plenty  of  time 
to  do  as  she  had  requested,  and  the  idea  rather  pleased  me 
than  otherwise.  I  thought  I  should  like  to  be  young  again, 
and  court  my  bride. 


XVI. 

MY  FIRST  WIFE; 

<HIS  idea  of  eternal  soul  mates  was  entirely  new  to  me; 
but,  as  I  sat  there  thinking  it  all  over,  I  remembered 
that  Swedenborg  had  written  something  like  it;  and 
Voncelora,  Katrina,  and  Helene,  had  now  corroborated  it; 
and  Helene  had  told  me  how  to  test  the  truth  of 
it ;  and  so  I  commenced  to  search  my  soul  to  its  very  re 
motest  recesses  to  see  just  what  my  highest  ideal  might 
be,  and  how  nearly  Helene  resembled  it.  After  thinking 
deeply  and  trying  in  every  way  to  imagine  a  lady  that 
might  excel  Helene,  I  gave  up  the  task.  She  certainly 
was  my  ideal— my  very  highest  ideal.  She  had  been 
my  ideal  when  in  earth-life.  She  had  been  all  that  I  then 
could  imagine,  a  noble,  intelligent,  kind-hearted  and  refined 
lady  ought  to  be.  Extreme  beauty  had  very  few  charms 
for  me,  unless  the  person  possessing  it  had  all  the  afore 
said  virtues,  as  well;  and,  although,  some  might  have  called 
Mrs.  Bancroft  plain,  she  was  in  my  eyes  a  very  beautiful 
woman;  for  the  spirit  within  her  body  was  this  most  lovely 
Helene.  Katrina  was  very  beautiful ;  yet  her  beauty  did 


84  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

not  impress  me  as  Helene's  did.  I  could  look  upon  Katrina 
as  a  lovely  sister,  but  she  would  never  impress  me  in  any  other 
way ;  but  Helene  quickened  me  to  the  innermost  recesses  of 
my  soul.  I  did  not  doubt  what  she  had  said  in  the  least ;  but 
still,  I  thought  I  would  do  as  my  mind  impelled  me,  prove  all 
things,  and  not  accept  anything  on  faith.  While  I  thus  sat 
in  pleasant  reverie,  gazing  out  over  the  beautiful  green  hills, 
there  suddenly  appeared  in  the  doorway  of  the  arbor,  a 
supremely  lovely  being.  A  Lady.  She  stood  there  for  some 
few  minutes  without  speaking ;  a  soft  smile  on  the  perfect 
lips,  gazing  at  me  with  her  radiant  blue  eyes.  She  was 
gloriously  beautiful !  So  beautiful  that  she  dazzled  me,  and  I 
covered  my  eyes  for  a  short  time,  for  I  felt  dazed  and  almost 
stunned.  Presently  she  approached  me  and  laid  her  beauti 
ful  hand  on  my  arm. 

"Herfronzo,"  she  said,  udo  you  recognize  me  ?" 

I  trembled  like  a  leaf.  Oh !  my  reader ;  try  to  imagine 
what  my  feelings  were  at  this  moment. 

Yes,  I  recognized  her.  This  beautiful  angel  was  the 
woman  I  married  in  my  youth ;  the  mother  of  my  eldest  child 
ren  ;  and  she  had  been  in  this  life  for  many — many  years. 

"Do  you  know  who  I  am  ?"  she  again  asked  with  a  winning 
smile. 

Yes,  you  are  Mary,  are  you  not? 

"I  was  called  by  that  name  many  years  ago  in  the  earth- 
life,"  she  answered  sweetly ;  "and  I  am  come  to  pay  you  a 
visit  and  talk  of  our  children,  and  of  other  things  besides." 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY  85 

I  had  been  sitting  by  a  lovely  little  table,  with  my  arm 
resting  upon  it ;  she  took  a  seat  at  the  other  side  of  the  table. 

"My  dear  Herfronzo,"  she  said,  "tell  me  of  what  you  were 
thinking  ?  for  you  seemed  to  be  in  a  very  thoughtful  mood." 

I  gazed  at  her  but  could  not  speak.  How  could  I  tell  this 
lady,  that  was  once  my  wife,  the  thoughts  that  had  just  been 
passing  through  my  mind.  That  I  had  been  thinking 
of  paying  my  court  at  another  shrine.  I  experienced  a  feel 
ing  akin  to  that  of  shame. 

"Well,"  she  said,  archly,  "if  you  do  not  care  to  tell  me,  I 
think  I  can  tell  you  every  thought  which  has  passed  through 
your  mind  since  you  have  been  sitting  here." 

I  felt  a  blush  rise  to  my  face  as  I  regarded  her. 

"Herfronzo,  I  wish  you  would  answer  me  one  question ; 
and  answer  it  in  all  sincerity.  Yet,  it  would  make  little  dif 
ference  whether  you  answered  it  sincerely,  or  not ;  for  it  is 
impossible  for  us  to  deceive  each  other  in  this  life;  but, 
which  do  you  love  best,  Helene,  or  myself?" 

I  again  raised  my  eyes  to  her  heavenly  face.  I  looked  at 
her  as  one  might  look  at  a  bright  star.  I  felt  a  sublime  awe 
gradually  creep  through  all  my  being;  but  to  love  this  glori 
ous  angel  on  a  conjugal  basis,  I  knew  would  be  utterly  im 
possible.  She  was  as  far  above,  and  beyond  me,  and  as  far 
from  me  in  every  way,  as  the  stars  are  above  and  beyond,  and 
far  off,  from  the  earth. 

"You  do  not  answer  my  question  Herfronzo,  and  I  will 
answer  it  for  you." 


86  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

"You  love  Helene  better  than  you  do  me ;  yet,  I  am  not  in 
the  least  jealous.  All  the  love  that  ever  belonged  to  me,  I 
have  always  received  from  you.  Can  I  find  any  fault  with 
this  ?  That  which  does  not  belong  to  me  by  natural  right, 
is  not  mine ;  and  if  I  were  to  take  that  which  was  not  mine,  I 
should  become  a  robber;  but  we  cannot  become  robbers 
here,  for  we  cannot  deceive  each  other  in  any  way." 

"How  revolting  and  shocking  are  many  of  the  so-called 
marriages  in  the  earth-life ;  constantly  deceiving,  bickering, 
and  quarrelling  with  each  other  among  the  less  refined ;  but 
a  thousand  times  more  deceptive  are  the  so-called  upper 
classes,  for  they  are  always  trying  to  make  it  appear  they 
dearly  love  each  other,  and  their  earthly  lives  are  often 
spent  in  acting  out  a  great  falsehood ;  for  many  of  them  are 
not  conjugal  mates,  and  never  can  be;  they  are  robbing  not 
only  themselves,  but  the  one  they  are  trying  to  deceive." 

"Herfronzo,  set  your  mind  forever  at  rest  on  one  point. 
I  am  not  your  conjugal  mate.  I  never  was,  I  never  can  be. 
Forever  cast  aside  that  feeling,  which  belongs  wholly  to  earth, 
that  you  owe  me  some  conjugal  duty.  You  owe  me  not  one 
particle  of  conjugal  love,  or  duty ;  and  even  the  thought  of  it 
has  caused  your  cheek  to  be  dyed  with  shame." 

"In  earth-life,  our  sin  was  the  sin  of  ignorance.  We  were 
children  in  wisdom,  filled  with  error;  and  so,  I  am  the 
mother  of  some  of  your  children  and  you  are  the  father  of 
mine ;  that  is  the  only  tie  that  exists  between  us,  except  the 
tie  that  exists  between  all  spirits  and  angels.  You  are  to  me 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  87 

a  brother  spirit.  I  am  to  you  a  sister  angel.  The  wife  which 
you  have  left  on  earth,  is  still  less  to  you  than  I  am,  for  her 
spirit  cannot  even  enter  into  the  least  sympathy,  or  rapport  with 
you,  and  this,  I  am  able  todo."  "Now,  once  for  all,  Herfronzo, 
look — look  at  me  long  and  well.  Enter  into  sympathy  with  me 
as  much  as  possible,  and  then  answer  the  first  question  that 
I  put  to  you.  Which  do  you  love  best,  Helene,  or  Mary?" 

I  did  as  she  bade  me.  I  looked  at  her  long  and  well. 
I  searched  my  soul  to  its  remotest  depths;  and  then  I 
answered  her. 

Mary,  I  said,  I  find  that  I  admire  you,  that  I  revere  you, 
that  your  presence  fills  me  with  awe,  that  I  love  you  as  one  is 
supposed  to  love  the  angels ;  but  I  cannot  find  within  my 
soul,  one  particle  of  conjugal  love  for  you ;  and  I  now  see 
that  I  never  did  love  you  with  real,  conjugal  love. 

"This  is  as  it  should  be,"  she  replied.  "You  are  learning 
wisdom  very  fast,  and  are  nearly  ready  to  become  an  angel. 
I  am  eager  that  you  should  become  an  angel  as  soon  as  pos 
sible,  for  then  you  will  be  better  fitted  to  visit  and  help  our 
dear  Karl,  who  still  remains  in  the  earth-life,  as  well  as  our 
other  children.  But  our  work  will  lie  mostly  with  Karl ;  for 
through  him  will  the  most  benefit  be  done  to  the  greatest 
number.  This  is  the  economy  of  heaven." 

"And  now  it  is  forever  settled  that  your  conjugal  love 
does  not  belong  to  me,  or  to  the  wife  that  is  still  on  the 
earth.  Now  the  question  is,  to  whom  does  it  belong?" 

"It  is  useless  for  me  to  tell  you  that  it  belongs  to  Helene, 


88  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

for  you  have  no  moral  right  to  believe  anything  because 
some  one  else  tells  you  so ;  you  must  have  positive  evidence 
through  the  experience  of  your  own  soul,  before  you  can 
actually  know  anything. 

Now  the  spiritual  world  is  not  as  large  and  extensive  as 
many  suppose ;  for  spirits  are  very  soon  made  angels,  and  as 
you  already  know,  an  angel  is  one  that  has  become  united  to 
its  other-self ;  and  after  it  has  become  united  to  that  other-self, 
it  can  no  more  be  separated.  It  is  one  angel.  It  has 
answered  the  end  and  aim  of  being  cleft  in  twain,  which  is 
merely  an  earthly  condition  for  the  purpose  of  propagation ; 
and  as  there  is  no  propagation  here,  there  is  no  necessity  for 
it  to  remain  in  halves  any  longer,  and  it  speedily  becomes 
one ;  for  love  and  wisdom  must  be  joined,  that  truth  may  be 
come  apparent;  and  thus  you  see,  Herfronzo,  you  cannot 
seek  your  other-self  among  the  angels,  for  it  must  be  clear  to 
you  that  she  cannot  by  any  possibility  be  there  ;  for  there  are 
no  mistaken  marriages  among  the  angels ;  that  is  another  im 
possibility;  for  if  there  was  the  least  discrepency  they  could 
not  unite  themselves  in  conjugal  love ;  it  would  not  only  be 
apparent  to  themselves,  but  to  every  other  angel  in  existence 
for  there  can  be  no  deception  here,  and  there  is  no  law  here, 
by  which  a  priest  can  tie  two  discordant  spirits  together ;  and 
there  is  not  such  a  thing  as  a  priest,  throughout  all  the  world 
of  angels;  that  is  another  entirely  earthly  condition;  then, 
Herfronzo,  it  only  remains  for  you  to  seek  your  conjugal  mate 
among  the  spirits,  or  down  in  the  earthly  sphere." 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  89 

At  the  mention  of  seeking  my  conjugal  mate  in  the  earth 
ly  sphere,  a  shudder  ran  through  me,  and  I  said. 

Rather  than  seek  my  mate  in  the  earthly  sphere,  I  would 
live  without  one  for  eternal  ages.  I  am  so  tired  and  weary  of 
earth,  that  even  the  thought  of  returning  as  a  spirit  is  ex 
tremely  distasteful  to  me. 

"You  will  feel  very  differently,  bye  and  bye,  when  you 
find  how  much  good  you  can  do,  and  how  much  happiness 
you  can  give  to  those  yet  in  the  earthly  sphere  ;  if  I  did 
not  know  this  to  be  absolutely  true,  I  would  not  venture  to 
say  so.  And  now  it  only  remains  for  you  to  seek  your  mate 
in  the  spiritual  sphere.  But  the  laws  of  the  spiritual  sphere 
are  not  like  those  of  the  earthly  sphere.  In  the  earth,  the  male 
seeks  the  female,  or  rather  he  is  inclined  to  roam  after  a 
promiscuous  fashion ;  and  the  female  that  is  fortunate  enough 
to  net  him — or  enthrall  him  long  enough  to  have  a  legal 
marriage  ceremony  performed,  considers  herself  very  fortu 
nate  indeed ;  and  she  does  not  often  stop  to  ask,  whether  he 
is  fitted  to  make  her  happy,  or  not ;  but,  if  he  has  money 
and  can  keep  her  in  style  ?" 

'•Now  there  is  nothing  of  all  this  in  the  spiritual  world, 
and  no  male  ever  seeks  his  female,  that  law  here  is  reversed, 
and  there  is  no  such  thing  as  roaming  promiscuously.  Im 
mediately  a  spirit  comes  here,  they  are  either  placed  in  schools 
where  they  are  taught  the  true  laws  of  their  being,  or  like 
yourself,  my  dear  Herfronzo,  they  are  met  by  their  own  other- 
self.  In  this  case  it  is  not  necessary  that  they  be  placed 


90  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

within  schools,  for  as  soon  as  they  become  angels  they  reside 
by  themselves ;  and  as  soon  as  you  become  an  angel  you  will 
understand  the  work  and  mission  of  angels.  Now  the  male 
here,  does  not  seek  the  female ;  but  the  female  is  prepared 
for  the  male ;  that  is,  his  true  spiritual  half  is  taught  just  who 
her  other-self  is.  If  she  comes  to  this  life  first,  which  is  the 
case  nine  times  out  of  ten,  she  is  placed  in  a  school  of  wisdom 
and  love,  and  instructed  by  angels  ;  and  they  in  their  higher 
wisdom  make  no  mistakes  in  these  matters.  But,  it  some 
times  happens  that  the  male  comes  first ;  and  when  this  is 
the  case  he  becomes  earth  bound,  he  cannot  rise  until  his 
spiritual  half  is  here. 

There  is  a  law  of  soul  gravitation,  and  he  gravitates  to 
the  spirit  of  his  female  half  and  remains  near  her,  until  she 
too,  becomes  a  spirit ;  and  she  seldom,  or  never,  remains  long 
in  the  earth  after  her  true  counterpart  is  in  the  spiritual  life." 

"Now  then,  my  dear  Herfronzo,  Helene  came  to  this  life 
about  six  months  ago.  She  has  been  taught  by  higher  wisdom, 
just  who  her  other-self  is,  and  has  been  fitted  to  receive  you. 
She  is  your  rightful  counterpart;  and  there  is  no  mistake 
about  it.  I  shall  leave  her  to  tell  you  her  own  experience." 

Mary  arose  to  depart. 

"Adieu!  dear  Herfronzo,  I  shall  see  you  again  and 
often  ;  for  we  have  a  common  interest,  and  a  work  that  each 
must  help  to  perform  Our  first  thought  and  care  after  be 
coming  angels,  is  for  our  children,  and  you  have  much  to 
learn. 


XVII. 

AN  AGED  MAN. 

(T  T  will  be  remembered  that  the  lake  over  which  Helene 
}'  and  myself  had  sailed,  lay  in  front  of  the  little  Villa, 
and  a  beautiful  vista  of  green  hills  and  mountains  at  the 
back.  As  my  eyes  now  roamed  over  these  lovely  hills,  I 
thought  I  should  like  to  take  a  walk  across  them.  Walking 
here,  requires  only  an  effort  of  the  will.  It  requires  nothing 
more  than  that  in  the  earth-life,  the  only  difference  between 
here  and  there,  is,  that  on  the  earth  you  have  a  heavy 
material  body  to  carry,  that  grows  very  weary  after  a  short 
time  and  one  cannot  walk  far,  whereas  here,  your  body  is 
light,  airy  and  refined,  and  it  can  be  moved  by  the 
will  with  almost  incredible  velocity  or  it  can  remain 
quiescent,  or  move  slowly  at  one's  pleasure.  We  are  often 
weary,  and  require  rest;  but  it  is  more  of  the  mind  than  of 
the  body.  One's  feet  need  not  touch  the  spiritual  earth,  un 
less  one  pleases.  I  preferred  to  float  gently  along  and  pause 
at  those  spots  that  most  interested  me ;  and  just  now  it 
seemed  to  please  me  to  be  alone ;  yet  my  thoughts  were  with, 
and  of  Helene ;  and  I  desired  to  ponder  well  the  words 
that  Mary  had  spoken.  All  that  she  had  said  bore  truth  upon 


92  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

its  face ;  the  highest,  best,  and  purest  truth.  How  could  I 
cavil,  or  question  anything  which  she  had  told  me?  Could 
my  mind  replace  it  with  anything  higher,  or  better  ?  and  yet, 
after  all,  how  simple,  as  all  nature  is  simple  when  once  under 
stood.  Oh,  how  much  better*  how  infinitely  better  was  the 
truth  as  I  found  it,  than  the  hocus  pocus  mess  of  twaddle 
and  laborious  twistings  and  turnings  of  a  plan  of  salvation 
which  amounts  to  this — that  God  in  the  form  of  a  man, 
created  an  earth  out  of  nothing ;  then  he  made  a  fiery  hell 
and  a  devil,  then  he  made  a  man  out  of  some  dust,  put  him 
in  a  garden  and  gave  him  his  orders.  He  was  not  to  have 
any  wisdom — which  is  of  course,  knowledge — if  he  did  he  was 
to  be  driven  forth ;  and  when  he  yielded  up  his  spirit,  it  was 
to  be  turned  over  to  the  devil,  to  be  burned  and  tormented 
forever.  But,  after  a  great  many  thousand  years,  God  re 
pented  of  what  he  had  done,  thought  he  had  made  a  great 
mistake,  and  he  would  now  try  and  rectify  it ;  so  he  came 
down  and  visited  a  girl,  and  she  soon  after  bore  him  a  child ; 
then  he  causes  this  child,  after  he  has  become  a  very  good 
man,  to  be  murdered,  so  that  all  that  had  faith  in  him  and 
washed  in  his  blood,  might  escape  this  firey  hell,  which  God 
had  made  for  man,  and  squeeze,  without  any  merit  of  his  own, 
into  another  place  called  heaven  where  God  resided,  there  to 
sing  praises  to  this  lovely  God  for  ever  more.  But  why  man 
should  praise  this  most  horrible  and  imperfect  being  does  not 
appear,  for  man  could  know  nothing  but  sorrow  during  his 
whole  earthly  existence. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY  93 

Thus  I  pondered  as  I  moved  on  over  this  most  exquis 
itely  beautiful  country ;  my  very  existence,  and  every  motion 
that  I  made  giving  me  the  most  intense  delight  Now,  I  had 
never  believed  in  this  plan  of  salvation ;  my  brain  being  so 
constituted  that  I  could  not  accept  anything  on  faith.  I 
must  have  reason,  or,  positive  proof  of  all  things,  before  I 
could  believe ;  and,  here  I  was,  actually  in  the  life  after  the 
death  of  my  body  and  there  was  neither  Hell,  Devil,  nor  God, 
as  represented  by  the  Christian  Church;  but,  instead,  a  most 
natural  and  beautiful  world;  many  degrees  more  beautiful 
than  the  earth  I  had  left;  and  this  world  was  peopled  with 
angels  and  spirits.  Instead  of  retrogression  of  any  kind, 
there  was  progression  of  all  kinds.  I  had  already  met  a  few 
of  my  friends  and  expected  to  meet  many  more.  All  these 
things  as  I  found  them,  gave  me  intense  delight  and 
satisfaction. 

I  had  wandered  on  over  these  hills  in  this  thoughtful  mood 
for  some  time.  I  had  passed  very  many  pretty  dwellings. 
Dogs  had  occasionally  followed  me  a  little  way,  fawning  upon 
me  and  lapping  my  hand  as  I  patted  their  heads.  Little 
birds  would  flit  about  me  and  sometimes  perch  on  my  head, 
or  shoulder.  I  had  long  since  lost  sight  of  Helene's  resi 
dence,  and  I  did  not  know  just  how  to  find  Voncelora's, 
With  all  my  happiness  I  felt  a  little  forlorn.  This  had  been 
my  nature  always.  I  was  slow  to  accept,  and  slow  to  give  up 
that  which  had  become  an  established  fact  to  me.  I  thought 
I  would  not  return  to  Helena,  for  awhile.  I  wanted  to  see 


94  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

what  truth  I  could  glean  by  myself.  This  was  an  old  habit 
of  mine  and  was  yet  strong  within  me ;  and  so,  on  and  on,  I 
wandered,  hoping  that  I  might  meet  with  some  kind  of 
adventure. 

I  had  not,  thus  far,  met  anyone.  I  had  now  left  the  hills 
behind  me  and  was  slowly  passing  through  a  forest.  I  seated 
myself  by  a  little  purling  brook,  and  very  nearly  fell  asleep. 
Everything  was  so  pleasant  and  delightful  that  I  did  not  feel 
the  need  of  a  house  and  found  myself  wondering,  why  people 
had  dwellings  here?  why  they  did  not  remain  out  of  doors? 
Presently,  T  heard  a  footstep,  and  looking  up  I  saw  an  old 
man  approaching  me.  His  hair  was  perfectly  white,  and  fell 
over  his  shoulders  in  true  patriarchal  style.  His  beard  was 
white,  full  and  flowing.  His  brow  was  broad  and  white,  and 
somewhat  furrowed.  His  eyes  were  a  deep  sparkling  blue. 
His  cheeks  were  a  little  thin,  his  hands  long  and  white  and 
he  held  a  staff,  yet  he  did  not  seem  to  use  it  for  support.  He 
wore  a  purple  robe  confined  about  his  waist  by  a  cord  and 
tassels  of  gold.  The  robe  fell  a  little  below  the  knee.  His 
feet  and  head  were  bare.  He  saluted  me  and  extended  his 
hand.  I  arose,  bowed,  and  took  his  hand. 

"Be  seated,  my  son,"  he  said,  "and  we  will  have  some 
pleasant  converse  together." 

So  I  again  sunk  down  upon  the  soft  moss,  and  he  took  a 
seat  by  my  side. 

"From  whence  earnest  thou,  my  son,  and  whither  art  thou 
going?"  he  asked. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  95 

I  came  from  the  earth,  only  yesterday,  I  answered,  but 
whither  I  am  going  I  cannot  tell. 

"Hast  left  many  friends  there,  and  hast  thou  many  friends 

here?" 

I  have  left  many  friends  on  earth,  and  I  have  many  here ; 
but  I  have  not  been  here  long  enough  to  see  many  of  them 
yet. 

"And  why  art  thou  alone,  my  son,  so  soon  after  coming 

to  this  life  ?" 

That  is  entirely  my  own  fault,  I  answered.  I  was  met  by 
kind  and  loving  friends;  they  tried  to  detain  me  with  them, 
but,  in  a  fit  of  perversity,  I  wandered  away  from  them. 

"Dost  thou  intend  to  return  to  them  again,  my  friend?" 
I  cannot  answer  that  question,  for  I  do  not  know  myself. 
I  do  not  think  I  could  find  them  again  without  some  one  to 
show  me  the  way;  for  I  am  a  stranger  here  and  do  not  know 
my  way  about. 

4 'Dost  thou  feel  in  a  hurry  to  return  to  thy  friends  once 
more  ?" 

No,  I  answered,  I  feel  more  like  finding  my  way  about  by 
myself,  for  awhile. 

"Wouldst  like  the  company  of  a  stranger?  Wilt  thou  ac 
company  me  for  a  few  days,  more  or  less,  as  it  pleaseth  thee?" 

I  now  looked  at  this  old  man  more  intently  before  I  an- 
wered.  My  friend,  I  said,  you  have  asked  me  many  questions 
and  I  have  answered  them  all,  frankly ;  it  is  my  turn  now, 
I  take  it 


96  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

You  look  to  be  an  old  man,  and  I  have  been  told  since 
coming  here,  that  the  law  of  age  is  reversed  in  this  world, 
that  instead  of  being  old,  all  appear  youthful  and  beautiful. 

You  are  certainly  beautiful  in  your  way,  but  how  is  it 
that  I  find  you  appearing  as  an  old  man  with  a  staff? 

"We  are  able,  through  the  force  of  our  desires,  to  put  on 
any  appearance  which  pleaseth  us ;  and  it  pleaseth  me,  just 
now,  to  put  on  the  appearance  of  an  old  man ;  for,  most  truly 
as  you  count  years,  I  am  old;  very,  very  old !  therefore,  my 
son,  thou  art  not  deceived.  Go  on  and  propound  thy 
questions.  I  am  here  to  answer  them." 


XVIII. 

GROWTH. 

fdo  not  care  for  your  personality,  although  it  pleases  me 
well ;  but  I  desire  to  be  wise,  to  understand  all  things. 
Are  you  able  to  answer  my  deepest  thought  ? 

"Propound  thy  questions,  my  son,  one  by  one ;  and  when 
we  come  to  one  that  I  cannot  answer  we  will  go  hence." 

Tell  me  then,  is  there  a  God,  creator  of  heaven  and 
earth? 

''Your  question  is  not  clear,"  he  answered,  "make  it 
plainer;  make  it  plainer." 

Why  !  it  is  as  plain,  as  plain  can  be.  Is  there  a  God, 
creator  of  heaven  and  earth  ? 

"Which  heaven  and  which  earth  dost  thou  mean  ?  as  thou 
hast  specified  but  one ;  and  there  are  more  heavens  and  earths 
than  thou  couldst  count  for  ages,  more  in  number  than  thou 
hadst  figures  in  the  earth-life  to  count  with ;  more  even,  than 
thy  mind  can  possibly  contemplate." 

Well,  is  there  a  God,  and  did  he  make  them  ? 

"Plainer,  my  son,  put  thy  questions  plainer." 

Well  then,  I  will  simplify.     Is  there  a  God? 


98  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

"I  do  not  understand  thee,  my  son.  Tell  me  first,  what 
thou  meanest  by  a  God  ?" 

Well  then,  is  there  a  being  in  form  and  feature  like  a 
man  ;  that  lives  somewhere,  and  by  word  of  mouth  spoke  all 
these  innumerable  earths  and  heavens  into  being  ? 

"No,  there  is  not  such  a  creature  in  existence." 

Tell  me  then,  how  do  you  know  there  is  not? 

"Because,  I  have  roamed  through  the  vastness  of  eternity 
and  cannot  find  any  such  being.  I  have  questioned  the 
angels,  and  the  arch-angels,  of  this,  and  many  other  worlds, 
and  they  cannot  find  any  such  being.  And  they  have  ques 
tioned  the  angels  that  have  been  in  eternity  for  countless 
ages,  and  they  have  not  seen,  or  heard  of  any  such  being- 
therefore,  I  think  my  answer  a  truthful  one  when  I  say,  there 
is  no  such  being." 

Then,  how  did  all  these  countless  worlds  come  into  ex 
istence  ? 

"My  son,  if  we  find  out  how  one  apple  grows  we  shall 
discover  how  all  apples  grow.  So,  if  we  find  out  how  one 
earth  and  heaven  came  into  existence,  we  shall  find  out  how 
all  earths  and  heavens  came  into  being;  but  we  will  start 
right  to  commence  with." 

"One  apple  was  never  made  out  of  nothing;  but  it  has 
within  itself  just  as  much  substance  as  composes  it.  This 
is  a  self  evident  truth,  is  it  not  ?" 

Well,  yes ;  yes,  of  course.  Of  course  it  has  just  as  much 
substance  as  composes  it; 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  99 

"So  an  earth  has  just  as  much  substance  as  composes  it. 
Is  an  apple  made  out  of  nothing  ?" 

No,  oh  no  !  no. 

"What  is  it  made  out  of?" 

Well,  really  now,  I  do  not  know. 

"Crush,   or   squeeze   an   apple    and   see   if  thou  canst 
answer  my  question  then  ?" 

Oh,  yes,  of  course ;  everybody  knows  that  it  is  made  out 
of  fluid  and  solid. 

"So  is  the  earth  made  out  of  fluid  and  solid.     Where  did 
the  apple  get  its  fluid  and  solid?" 

Oh,  it  grew. 

"So  did  the  earth  grow." 

Oh,  did  it?  Did  it  indeed?  How  do  you  know? 

"How  do  you  know  that  the  apple  grew  ?" 

Why;  why,  I  have  watched  them  from  the  commencement, 
and  seen  them  in  all  the  different  stages  of  growth. 

"So  have  I  watched  the  earths  as  they  grew;  and  I  have 
seen  them  in  all  the  different  stages  of  growth." 

Indeed !  Can  I  believe  you  ?  That  must  be  most  interest 
ing  !  Will  you  not  take  me  that  I  may  see  them  grow  ? 

"I  shall  be  most  happy  to  do  so  when  thou  becomest  an  angel." 
Yes,  but  just  now,  I  feel  more  interested  in  the  growth 
of  worlds  than  I  do  in  becoming  an  angel. 

"Yet  thou  mayest  not  see  them  grow  till  thou  becomest 
an  angel.  So  go  on  with  thy  questions,  my  son;  but  first, 
answer  thou  me." 


100 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY- 


"From  whence    does  the  apple  obtain  the  substance 
composing  it  ?" 

Why,  from  the  tree  on  which  it  grows. 

"True,  but  from  whence  cometh  the  tree  ?" 

Why,  from  the  earth. 

"Not  so,  my  son.  The  tree  springs  forth  from  a  small  seed, 
which  is  placed  a  little  way  beneath  the  soil,  and  the  little 
seed  holds  within  it  a  living  spiritual  germ,  an  exact  mini 
ature  copy,  invisible  and  spiritual,  of  the  tree  that  is  to  be  de 
veloped  from  it." 

Why,  yes,  I  see— I  see ! 

"Then  it  strikes  its  roots  deep  into  the  earth,  and  raises 
its  arms  aloft  into  the  heavens." 

Yes! 

"The  tree  is  the  parent  of  the  apple,  and  the  apple,  or 
seed  of  an  apple  is  the  parent  of  the  tree." 

Oh,  certainly  1 

"Well,  then,  all  earths  grow  from  a  parent  tree,  yet  the 
parent  of  an  earth  is  not  in  the  form  of  a  tree,  but,  in  the 
form  of  a  globe." 

"My  son,  I  think  you  will  agree  with  me,  that  the  earth  is 
not  the  tree,  and  the  tree  is  not  the  apple;  but  that  the  earth 
must  first  exist  that  the  tree  may  exist,  and  the  tree  exists  to 
bring  forth  the  apple." 

Your  assertion  is  a  self-evident  truth.  It  cannot  be  con 
tradicted. 

"Then,  as  the  apple  is  not  the  tree,  but  the  product  of  the 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  101 

tree,  so  the  earth  from  which  thou  earnest  is  the  product  of  a 
parent  globe." 

Well,  that  seems  to  be  a  very  reasonable  supposition,  I 
answered. 

"Is  it  merely  a  supposition  that  the  tree  produces  the 
apple,  or,  is  it  a  self-evident  fact?" 

Well,  the  fact  is  very  evident  that  the  tree  produces  the 
apple,  but  not  so  evident  that  a  parent  globe  produced  the 
globe  from  which  I  have  just  come. 

"If  you  give  a  child  an  apple  that  never  saw  a  tree  that 
produced  apples,  you  might  say,  this  apple  grew  on  a  tree ; 
the  boy,  in  his  ignorance,  might  answer  and  say,  oh !  that  is 
only  a  supposition,  I  don't  believe  it !  God  made  this  apple 
out  of  nothing ;  but  it  is  a  very  good  apple  and  I  am  going  to 
eat  it.  The  boy  wants  proof  that  the  apple  grew  on  a  tree. 
But,  when  you  take  that  child  by  the  hand  and  lead  him  to  a 
tree  on  which  apples  grow,  then  he  is  convinced  of  the  truth 
of  what  you  say." 

k<Now,  Herfronzo,  I  shall,  bye  and  bye,  lead  you  to  these 
parent  globes,  and  allow  you  to  observe  how  they  produce 
other  globes ;  but  as  I  cannot  do  this  just  at  present,  I  will 
content  myself  by  answering  your  questions." 

Tell  me  then,  the  parentage  of  the  globe  from  which  I 
have  just  come? 

"My  son,  didst  thou  ever  hear  of  a  child  being  produced 
from  only  one  parent  ?  or,  of  anything  being  produced  from 
only  one  parent?" 


io2  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

No,  I  never  did,  was  my  reply ;  for  even  Christ,  is  said  to 
have  had  God  for  his  father  and  Mary  for  his  mother. 

"Well,  the  apple  is  not  produced  from  one  parent  alone; 
neither  are  the  earths  produced  from  one  parent  alone.  The 
apple  has  for  its  parents,  the  earth,  the  tree,  and  the  heavens. 
The  earth,  has  for  its  parents,  the  sun,  the  sun's  magnetic 
counterpart,  and  the  great  eternal  ocean  of  matter  and  spirit, 
as  it  exists  now,  as  it  ever  has  existed,  as  it  ever  will  exist ; 
and  within  spirit  dwells  another  principle,  which  we  will  call 
God,  or  force,  or  power,  or  will.  It  makes  but  little  differ 
ence  what  one  may  call  it.  It  is  the  power  that  moves  all 
the  rest.  And,  my  son,  this  is  God!  as  I  have  discovered  it, 
and  as  all  other  angels  have  discovered  it.  It  is  the  only  way 
God  is  made  manifest  to  us.  And  now  your  first  question 
is  answered. — Is  there  a  God,  creator  of  heaven  and  earth? — 
what  mayest  thy  second  question  be  ?" 

Tell  me  then,  how  did  the  sun  beget  the  earth  ? 

"I  will  tell  thee,  first,  how  the  sun  came  into  being ;  and 
when  I  tell  thee  how  the  sun,  belonging  to  thy  earth,  came 
into  being,  it  will  tell  thee  how  all  the  suns  that  exist,  came 
into  being.  Like  the  tree  and  the  apple,  my  son,  they  grew, 
they  grew." 

Well,  how  did  they  grow  ? 

"Tell  me,  if  thou  canst,  how  the  apple  tree  grew?" 

Oh!  from  a  little  seed  in  the  soil. 

"So  the  sun  grew  from  a  little  seed,  buried  within  the  vast 
ocean  of  matter." 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y.  103 

But  the  seed  of  the  sun,  the  seed  of  the  sun !  where  did 
that  come  from  ? 

"Where  did  the  seed  of  the  apple  come  from  ? 

Why,  from  another  apple,  of  course. 

"Not  so,  my  son.  Each  apple  produces  its  own  seed,  and 
there  the  circle  is  complete.  The  seed  produces  the  tree,  the 
tree  the  apple,  the  apple  the  seed.  Now  we  come  to  the 
question,  how  is  the  seed  of  the  apple  produced  ?  From  a 
living  spiritual  germ,  that  the  petals  of  the  flower  grasp  from 
out  the  atmosphere,  or,  from  out  the  heavens,  or  in  other 
words,  from  out  the  vast  ocean  of  spirit  and  matter." 

You  surprise  me,  sir.  I  knew  that  apple  trees  had  blos 
soms,  but  it  never  struck  me  in  this  light,  before. 

"And  why  did  you  suppose  the  tree  blossomed?  for  noth 
ing  is  in  vain." 

Well,  really,  I  did  not  know ;  I  never  thought  about  it. 

"My  son,  we  will  take  one  blossom,  and  that  wiii  tell  thee 
how  it  is  with  them  all.  Within  the  petals  of  the  blossom,  is 
a  little  magnetic  cup,  that  attracts  and  holds  in  its  embrace 
an  invisible  germ,  which  exists  within  the  etherial  atmos 
phere,  or  spiritual  atmosphere;  the  petals  of  the  flower 
close  over  it ;  the  magnetic  attraction  holds  it;  it  is  the  seed, 
the  spirit  of  the  seed,  and  without  it  no  seed  can  come  forth. 
So  the  apple  does  not,  in  reality,  produce  the  seed,  but  the 
petals  of  the  flower  of  the  tree ;  yet,  the  petals  are  worthless 
without  the  spiritual  germ." 

Well,  how  does  this  apply  to  the  seed  of  the  sun  ? 


104  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

"First,  then ;  the  seed  of  a  sun  exists  forever  within  the 
vast  ocean  of  spirit  and  matter,  It  is  a  little  invisible,  mag 
netic,  spiritual  flame,  or  germ,  it  attracts  matter  and  holds 
it  fast,  until  it  becomes  a  perfect  atom ;  then  it  attracts  other 
atoms  like  itself,  until  a  small  globe  is  formed  about  the  size 
of  a  goose  egg ;  this  is  the  real  material  seed  of  a  sun,  the 
visible  nucleus;  and  there  are  countless  millions  of  these 
nuclei,  or  perfect  seed  of  suns,  that  are  all  destined  to  take 
root  and  grow  into  perfect  suns,  in  the  vast  ocean  of  matter 
and  spirit.  Now,  how  does  the  little  seed  of  an  apple  grow 
into  a  large  and  perfect  tree  ?  It  grows  by  the  power  of  at 
tracting  and  appropriating  atom  after  atom,  to  its  own  use 
and  benefit.  So  the  nucleus  of  the  sun  grows  by  its  power 
of  attracting  and  gathering  to  itself  atom  after  atom,  as 
it  rolls  through  the  vast  ocean  of  matter  and  spirit." 

"But  a  young  apple  tree  does  not  produce  flower  and 
fruit,  until  it  arrives  at  a  state  of  maturity." 

"Now,  an  apple  is  composed  of  solid  and  fluid,  and  it  is  a 
soft  smooth  globe,  so  the  body  of  a  sun,  that  is  to  be,  is  com 
posed  of  solid  and  fluid,  and  it  is  a  soft  smooth  globe,  like 
the  apple  it  is  equally  and  evenly  mixed  together ;  but  this 
young  sun,  unlike  the  apple,  is  revolving  with  great  rapidity 
in  space,  gathering  and  growing, — gathering  and  growing, — 
until  the  time  arrives  when  it  has  reached  an  enormous  size. 
Being  soft,  about  as  hard  as  an  apple,  the  outer  surface  has 
at  length,  become  somewhat  harder  than  the  inner  part ;  the 
sun  is  now  ripe  and  ready  for  propagation ;  the  inner  part, 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y.  105 

by  its  rapid  motion  becomes  loosened  from  the  shell,  or, 
harder  part,  and  this,  at  length  cracks  open  and  gradually  the 
inner  globe  escapes  from  the  shell,  or,  harder  part.  Now  the 
shell  gathers  itself  together,  by  the  power  of  attraction,  into 
a  distinct  and  separate  globe ;  these  globes  by  their  motion 
repel  each  other  and  keep  each  other  at  just  a  proper  dis 
tance;  and  yet  their  power  of  attraction  holds  each  the 
other,  at  just  a  proper  distance ;  this  shell  or  ring  which  the 
sun  threw  off,  at  length,  becomes  just  such  an  earth,  as  thou 
earnest  from." 

i  Oh !  but  this  is  intensely  interesting !  Go  on,  my  wise  sage 
and  tell  me  more.  Does  this  sun  produce  other  worlds,  as 
well  ? 

"Yea,  it  produces  seven  in  all;  and  this  eventually  be 
comes  a  system  of  worlds,  eight  in  number;  the  sun  being 
the  first,  or  primary  world;  and  all  suns  are  first,  or  primary 
worlds;  and  all  earths,  are  second,  third,  fourth,  fifth,  sixth, 
and  seventh  worlds;  all  differing  somewhat  from  each  other; 
these,  are  the  children  of  the  sun." 

Tell  me,  father,  where  did  the  sun  obtain  its  light?  what 
makes  it  shine  ?  why  is  it  so  hot  ? 

"Thou  art,  in  thy  eagerness,  asking  three  questions  instead 
of  one.  I  did  n6t  agree  to  answer  thee  but  one  at  a  time. 
I  will  answer  thee  the  first.— Where  did  the  sun  obtain  its 
light?" 

"I  have  already  told  thee,  that  the  sun  was  composed  of 
atoms;  that  the  central  point  of  each  atom  was  a  little  in- 


106  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

visible  magnetic  flame,  in  other  words,  a  point  of  pure  mag 
netism.  After  a  sun  throws  off  all  its  children  it  begins  to 
grow  old,  and  at  length  dies,  or  yields  up  its  spirit;  and  as 
thou  canst  readily  see,  from  what  I  have  already  told  thee, 
each  atom  is  composed  equally  of  spirit  and  matter,  therefore, 
spirit  and  matter  are  the  parents  of  a  sun,  and  the  uniting  or 
marriage  of  the  two  produce  other  worlds  but  the  sun  must 
at  length  yield  up  its  spirit.  Up  to  this  point  the  sun  had  no 
light  of  its  own ;  it  did  not  shine ;  and  before  the  sun  could 
shine  it  must  yield  up  every  particle  of  its  spirit,  or  magnetic 
flame ;  and  so  for  ages  the  sun  was  dying,  or  yielding  up  its 
spirit ;  but  as  all  spirit  retains  the  exact  form  of  the  body 
which  it  has  left,  so  the  sun's  spirit  retained  the  exact  shape 
of  the  sun  and  became  its  invisible  magnetic  counterpart. 
The  material  body  of  the  sun  still  retained  its  form;  and  so 
the  dark  body*  of  the  sun  and  its  magnetic  counterpart  form 
a  perfect  electric  battery.  Magnetism  is  forever  setting  the 
dark  body  of  the  sun  in  a  blaze  of  light ;  and  thus,  light  and 
heat  exist.  And  now  I  have  answered  thy  question  "How 
did  the  sun  obtain  its  light?"  This  is  the  shining  light  of  the 
sun." 

And  did  human  beings  ever  exist  on  the  sun  ? 

"No,  they  never  did ;  for  suns  are  not  inhabited  worlds. 
A  tree  is  not  an  apple,  but  the  parent  of  the  apple,  and  it 
exists  first,  that  the  apple  may  exist.  So  a  sun,  is  not  for 
the  purpose  of  habitation,  but  for  the  purpose  of  giving  birth 
to  worlds  that  are  to  be  inhabited;  and  after  it  has  become  a 


THE  DISCO VERRD   COUNTRY.  107 

spiritualized  world,  to  fit  those  other  worlds,  its  children,  for 

habitation." 

I  begin  to  fear,  I  said,  that  if  we  remain  here  until  I  ask 

a  question  that  you   cannot  answer,  it  will   be  longer  than  I 

should  like  to  stay.     I  would  like,  even  now,  to  be  going.      I 

am  eager  to  see  more  of  this  lovely  world. 

"Very  well,  he  said,  shall  I  bear  you  company?" 

Oh !  by  all   means !    It  is  so  much  better  to  have  a  wise 

man  by  my  side  than  to  be  alone. 

So  we  arose  and  departed  on  our  way. 


XIX. 

ARISTOTLE. 

jFTER  gliding'  onward  for  a  short  distance  I  asked.     By 
what  name  shall  I  call  you,  Sir? 

"You  may  call  me  Aristotle  ;  for  by  that  name  I  was 
called  when  I  lived  on  the  earth." 

I  started  back,  almost  affrighted.  I  looked  at  him  in 
wondering  amazement.  Could  this  unobtrusive  old  man  be 
the  great  Grecian  Philosopher,  Aristotle  ?  And  he  had  con 
descended  to  sit  with  me  by  a  purling  brook,  and  tell  me  how 
the  sun  came  into  being. 

May  I  ask  you,  Aristotle,  where  you  live? 
"I  make  my  home  in   many  places,"  he  answered,    "and 
work  wherever  I  find   work  to  do ;  just  now,  I  am  going  to 
that  shining  town,  yonder."     And  he  pointed  with  his  staff  to 
a  lovely  town  which  just  now  came  into  view. 

It  was,  indeed,  a  shining  town  ;  'and  as  it  lay  glistening  in 
all  its  beauty  before  us,  I  felt  like  singing  some  glorious  old 
anthem. 

"If  thou  wouldst  like  to  sing,"  said  he,  "let  us  sing"  and 
so  we  commenced. 

We  sang  an  anthem  that  I  had  been  familiar  with  when 
in  the  earth-life;  it  was  a  composition  of  one  of  the  grand 
masters  in  music  and  seemed  to  express  my  feelings  exactly ; 
and  as  our  voices  rose  and  fell  in  perfect  harmony,  the  sway 
ing  motion  of  our  etherial  bodies,  as  we  glided  onward,  kept 


THE  DISCOVERED   COUNTRY.  109 

perfect  time  to  the  music.  We  soon  neared  the  town.  What 
is  the  name  of  this  town  ?  I  asked,  turning  to  my  companion. 

"It  is  called  the  city  of  Brotherly  Love,"  he  answered. 

And  why  the  cky  of  Brotherly  Love  ?   I  questioned. 

"Because  there  are  no  ladies  living  within  this  city." 

No  ladies  !  I  exclaimed,  in  some  astonishment. 

"Not  one,"  he  answered. 

I  must  admit  a  pang  of  disappointment  shot  through  me ; 
and  yet,  why  should  I  feel  disappointed  ?  I  had  left  Helene 
alone  and  wandered  forth  by  myself  in  quest  of  knowledge 
and  adventure ;  surely,  this  must  be  a  very  fitting  city  for  me 
to  explore.  And  now  I  began  to  feel  eager  and  curious  to 
know  more  about  this  shining  town.  We  approached  an 
archway  and  paused  to  examine  it.  It  appeared  to  be  of 
granite,  and  set  with  glittering  diamonds  was  the  word 
Wisdom.  The  town  was  very  beautiful.  The  streets  were 
white,  the  dwellings  were  small  and  perfectly  square,  with  flat 
roofs  of  shining  gold,  and  all  the  houses  were  set  with  mili 
tary  precision,  and  all  precisely  alike. 

In  the  centre  of  the  town,  on  a  hilltop,  stood  a  large 
square  edifice,  exactly  like  the  others,  all  but  its  size ;  it  cov 
ered  about  an  acre  of  ground.  Not  a  flower,  not  a  shrub, 
not  a  tree,  not  a  green  thing  of  any  kind  could  I  see  ;  noth 
ing  but  this  grand  shining  town  that  reminded  me  of  some 
military  post.  Not  a  living  thing  could  I  see  but  files  of 
shining  soldierly  men,  going  and  coming,  to  and  from,  this 
large  building ;  all  keeping  step,  and  walking  with  precision  ; 


no  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

and  as  each   man  approached    his  own  little  dwelling,  he 
would  right  about  face  and  enter. 

I  was  greatly  amused  and  looked  at  Aristotle.  I  noticed 
a  laughing  twinkle  in  his  bright  blue  eye,  and  the  vestige  of  a 
smile  hovered  about  his  lips. 

"I  have  been  sent  to  deliver  a  discourse  in  the  Temple  of 
Brotherly  Love,"  he  said,  l'and  overtook  you  on  my  way 
hither.  I  intend  to  remain  here  for  a  short  time.  They  have 
prepared  forme  a  little  house,  somewhat  larger  than  the 
others.  Will  you  be  my  guest  until  I  go  hence?" 

Most  gladly,  I  answered,  and  many  thanks.  All  the 
men  which  I  could  see,  were  dressed  precisely  alike.  They 
wore  white  pants,  black  shoes,  red  coats  trimmed  with  gold 
lace,  tall  black  hats  and  white  gloves.  Presently  one  of  these 
men  espied  us,  and  as  we  passed  him  he  turned  and  saluted  us. 
"I  am  Aristotle,"  said  my  companion,  "and  am  come  to 
talk  in  the  Temple  of  Brotherly  Love;  Will  you  kindly  show 
me  the  house  in  which  I  am  to  live  whilst  I  remain  here  ?" 

The  Soldier  bowed  gravely,  saying,  "follow  me."  And 
he  conducted  us  to  a  house  not  far  away.  It  was  precisely 
like  the  others  excepting,  that  it  was  large  enough  for  two. 

"They  all  know  that  I  will  never  live  alone,"  said  Aris 
totle,  as  we  entered,  "and,  as  they  will  not  allow  me  to  fetch 
my  wife,  I  always  pick  up  some  wayfaring  spirit  that  needs 
instruction  on  the  very  subjects  which  I  intend  to  treat  in 
my  discourse." 

The  Soldier  saluted,  and  left  us. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  in 

The  room  in  which  we  found  ourselves,  was  a  large  square 
room,  without  ornament  of  any  kind.  A  square,  hard  looking 
table  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  The  room  had  but  two 
windows  and  they  both  looked  out  on  the  white  and  glistening 
street.  Two  straight  backed  chairs  and  a  large  bed  in  one 
corner  of  the  room  completed  the  furniture.  The  floor,  walls 
and  ceiling  were  all  of  a  glistening  white,  unbroken  by  orna 
ment  or  picture.  The  bed  was  without  curtains  and  looked 
hard  and  uninviting.  I  had  become  a  little  weary  and  threw 
myself  down  into  one  of  the  chairs,  but  it  gave  me  very  little 
rest.  Aristotle  took  the  other,  and  we  both  sat  for  a  few 
moments  staring  out  into  the  white  street.  T  sighed 
audibly.  He  gave  me  a  furtive  glance  and  a  half  smile.  Just 
then,  one  of  the  soldiers  brought  in  our  dinner  and  placed  it 
upon  the  bare  table  without  spreading  any  cloth.  Two  shin 
ing  silver  plates  were  set,  and  two  silver  mugs.  A  silver  tur 
een  filled  with  cold  soup,  a  silver  ladle  to  dip  it  with,  and  a 
silver  pitcher  of  cold  water,  comprised  the  dinner.  We  drew 
our  chairs  up  to  this  rather  uninviting  repast.  I  think  they 
have  forgotten  the  bread,  I  said. 

"No,"  Aristotle  answered,  "they  eat  no  bread  in  this 
city."  He  helped  me  to  some  soup.  I  tasted  it.  It  had  a 
sour  bitter  taste,  and  puckered  my  mouth,  and  as  soon  as  I 
had  swallowed  a  few  mouth fuls  it  affected  me  strangely.  I 
felt  almost  as  straight  and  stiff  as  the  soldier  who  had  placed 
it  there.  Aristotle  did  not  partake  of  his  soup  at  all ;  he 
drank  a  little  water  and  that  was  all.  I  felt  a  little  sour  and 


H2  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

dissatisfied.     This  soup  is  wretched !    I  said.     How  do  they 
make  it  ? 

"They  gather  a  few  wild  herbs  outside  the  city  limits,"  he 
answered,  "and  compound  it  of  them  and  water." 

And  where  do  they  get  the  water  ? 

"They  construct  shallow  artificial  pools  and  obtain  the 
water  from  them,"  he  answered. 

This  city  looked  very  shining  and  imposing  in  the  distance, 
I  said,  but  it  seems  to  be  a  very  cold  and  desolate  place,  when 
once  you  are  within  it, 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "I  would  that  such  a  city  did  not  exist, 
and  am  doing  all  I  can  to  abolish  it." 

Are  there  many  more  cities  in  this  world  like  this  one  ?  I 
asked. 

"No,"  he  answered,  "this  is  the  only  one  of  its  kind 
within  this  Spiritual  Sphere." 

As  the  soup  was  so  unpalatable,  we  did  not  sit 
long  at  table,  and  being  weary,  I  threw  myself  down 
upon  the  hard  looking  bed,  but  Aristotle  did  not  follow 
my  example. 

How  soon  are  you  to  deliver  your  discourse  ?  I  asked, 
sleepily. 

"There  is  no  particular  time  specified,"  he  answered." 
Sleep  as  long  as  thou  wilt,  there  will  be  time  enough  when 
thou  awakest. 

And  so  I  fell  asleep  and  dreamed  of  Helena.  I  thought 
she  had  visited  the  arbor,  soon  after  my  departure,  and  find- 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  113 

ing  that  I  had  gone,  she  knew  not  whither,  without  bidding 
her  adieu,  her  soul  was  filled  with  grief  and  amazement. 
Tears  rolled  down  over  her  cheeks  ;  she  stretched  forth  her  love 
ly  arms  crying,  "Herfronzo  !  Herfronzo  !  Come  back  to  me,  my 
darling !  Art  thou  gone  to  seek  wisdom,  by  thyself  alone,  and 
left  thy  loving  Helene  behind  thee  ?  Remember  the  words 
written  over  the  archway,  when  the  angel  Voncelora  and 
Katrina  first  brought  thee  to  this  life  !"  And  then  in  my  dream 
I  again  saw  the  archway,  and  the  words  written  thereon,  and 
the  beautiful  figures  with  clasped  hands,  Wisdom  and  Love, 
which  beget  Truth.  When  Wisdom  and  Love  are  united, 
Truth  is  made  manifest.  I  awoke,  dejected  and  unrefreshed. 
To  be  sure  I  had  learned  how  the  sun  came  into  being,  and 
no  doubt  there  was  very  much  more  to  learn  ;  my  head  was 
satisfied,  but  not  my  heart;  and  I  was  very,  very  hungry.  I 
longed  to  get  back  to  Helene.  I  wanted  bread  and  fruit,  not 
bitter  soup.  Aristotle  was  not  in  the  room,  but  presently  he 
entered. 

"Hast  thou  slept  well,  my  son?"  he  asked,  with  a  smile, 
"thou  appearest  rather  forlorn." 

Not  very  well,  I  answered.  But  may  I  ask  where  you 
have  been  ?  Not  at  the  temple  without  me,  I  hope  ?  I  may 
have  over-slept  and  missed  your  discourse. 

"Not  so,"  he  answered,  "I  have  been  out  walking  up  and 
down,  up  and  down,  with  a  number  of  these  misguided  men, 
trying  to  teach  them  the  true  principles  that  govern  their 
being;  and  I  think  my  words  have  not  been  without  effect." 


XX. 

THE  TEMPLE. 

me,  father,   something  about  this  city  and  these 
men.     Why  do  we  find  a  city  like  this  without  ladies, 
and   all  these   men,   so    grave   and   soldierly,   banded 
together  ? 

"Thou  findest  this  city  here,  because  these  men  must  live 
somewhere ;  and  a  natural  law  of  like,  attracting  like,  causes 
them  to  gravitate  and  band  together.  They  construct  these 
streets  and  dwellings  in  the  same  manner  that  all  spirits  con 
struct  streets  and  dwellings,  within  their  minds ;  and  man,  in 
the  earth-life,  constructs  his  dwellings  in  the  same  way, 
within  his  mind,  and  then  clothes  his  spiritual  construction 
with  material  substance ;  but  this  is  not  necessary  in  the  spir 
itual  sphere,  for  the  thought,  or  construction  of  a  spirit,  be 
comes  objective,  a  real  object  to  itself  and  all  other  spirits 
and  angels.  Therefore,  you  and  I,  and  all  others,  perceive 
this  city  as  these  men  have  constructed  it.  Their  spirits, 
really,  all  differ,  one  from  another ;  but  their  differences  are 
held  in  abeyance ;  for  they  are  firmly  agreed  on  one  point, 
and  that  being  their  most  prominent,  or  central  idea  and 
thought  all  things  must  succumb  to  it;  and  that  one  powerful, 
determination  is,  that  they  will  have  nothing,  whatever,  to  do 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  115 

with  the  female  half  of  their  being.  None  of  these  men  passed 
into  the  spiritual  life  whilst  young;  they  were  all  old  men,  and 
most  of  them  had  become  embittered  against  women  in 
their  youth,  and  had  lived  for  many  years,  entirely  aloof  from 
the  other  sex ;  they  have  all  been  what  is  called  woman 
haters.  Some  of  them  are  men  that  led  very  debauched 
lives,  and  women  had  been  their  entire  ruin  when  on  the 
earth  ;  and  they  had  cursed  all  womankind  for  their  own  blind 
mistakes.  None  of  them  have  been  in  this  life  very  long; 
and  none  of  them  remain  in  this  city  any  great  length  of 
time ;  and  the  city  would  die  a  natural  death  if  new  ones  were 
not  continually  coming," 

"These  men  are  all,  the  hard,  firm,  unapproachable  kind; 
for  if  they  could  be  taught  in  any  other  way,  this  city  would 
not  exist.  Most  of  them  were  men  of  high  renown,  and  edu 
cated  ;  many  were  Priests  among  the  Catholics ;  but  not  one 
of  them  had  the  least  idea  of  the  spiritual  life  as  it  is ;  they 
were  all,  to  a  man,  rooted  and  grounded  in  the  idea  of  a 
heaven  and  hell,  a  personal  God,  and  a  personal  devil ;  and 
no  common  love,  or  teaching,  will  change  the  souls  of  these 
men ;  therefore,  the  higher  angels  take  this  city  into  consid 
eration,  and  weigh  very  carefully  the  method  whereby  they 
may  be  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth."  Their  counter 
parts  might  be  brought  to  them,  or  they  be  carried  to  their 
counterparts ;  but  they  repudiate  and  firmly  put  from  them 
any  such  idea.  They  will  not  even  look  at  a  woman,  or  ad 
mit  one  within  the  city,  saying,  that  all  trouble  and  sin  springs 


n6  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

from  woman,  and  there  would  be  no  end  of  trouble  if  one 
were  te  come  within  the  city.  They  have  builded  a  Temple, 
as  you  see  ;  they  firmly  believe  in  the  old  doctrines  of  heaven 
and  hell,  and  think  they  are  only  waiting  here  for  the  day  of 
judgement,  a  kind  of  intermediate  condition.  They  think 
their  only  mistake  was,  in  supposing  they  slept  in  their  graves 
till  the  judgement.  But  the  Roman  Catholics  think  it  is  Pur 
gatory.  They  are  willing  to  admit  into  the  Temple,  occa- 
sionly,  some  person  that  was  famous  on  earth ;  some  one  of 
the  old  Philosophers  and  teachers,  such  as  Confucius,  Ly- 
curgus,  Demosthenes,  Galen,  Hannibal,  Socrates,  Herschel, 
Columbus,  and  your  humble  servant  Aristotle.  The  angels 
knowing  this,  take  advantage  of  it,  and  often  delegate  and 
send  some  of  these  men  to  discourse  with  them  within  their 
Temple ;  and  in  this  way,  many  are  brought  to  perceive  the 
truth,  and  are  prevailed  upon  to  leave  the  city,  and  shortly 
after,  are  united  to  their  own  true  other-self,  and  become 
happy  and  progressive  angels;  and  all,  as  time  goes  on, 
eventually  leave  the  city;  but  as  fast  as  some  leave,  new  ones 
from  earth  replenish  it;  and  thus  the  city  still  lives." 

4 'Now,  Herfronzo,  I  am  about  to  go  to  the  Temple,  and 
shall  be  glad  of  thy  company." 

And  so  Aristotle  and  myself,  slowly  ascended  the  hill  and 
entered  the  Temple.  It  was  a  large  square  hall,  very  much 
like  many  in  the  earth  life.  Opposite  the  entrance  was  the 
Rostrum.  The  place  was  filled  with  hard  looking,  straight 
backed  seats,  arranged  in  even  perfect  rows,  and  nearly  every 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  117 

seat  was  occupied  by  one  of  those  straight  hardfeatured, 
soldierly  looking  men ;  and  a  silent  grave  melancholy  per 
vaded  the  whole  place.  We  took  our  seats  as  silently  as  the 
others,  for  someone  was  speaking  from  the  Rostrum.  He 
looked  very  much  like  the  others,  excepting,  that  he  wore  a 
long  black  robe  with  flowing  sleeves,  and  on  his  head,  a  close 
black  cap.  He  was  speaking  slowly,  and  with  great  solemn 
ity,  and  one  felt  that  he  weighed  and  measured  every  word 
with  great  care. 


XXI. 

THE  EXHORTATION. 

RETHREN,"  said  the  speaker,  "this,  as  you  all  know, 
is  the  great  Temple  of  Brotherly-Love !  We  find  our 
selves  here,  as  spiritual  beings,  and  yet,  we  have  not 
attained  heaven,  and  we  do  not  find  ourselves  in  hell ;  neither, 
are  we  asleep  in  our  graves;  and  therefore,  we  know  that  this 
must  be   an  intermediate  state  of  existence,  and   that   our 
brethren,  the  Roman  Catholics,  are  right.      We  also  know, 
finding  it  true  by  actual  experience,  that  the  Priesthood  of 
the   Catholic   Church,  lead  the  most  perfect  lives;  that  we 
were  all  created  in  the  image  of  God,  and  the  nearer  we  live 
to,  and  like  that  God,  the  more  perfect  we  become;  and  find 
ing  us  faithful  and  worthy,  he  will  soon  open  the  gates  of  Heaven 
to  us.     We  lead  a  life  of  perfect  celibacy,  for  God  is  a  male, 
and    he    has    no  wife;    and  even    Satan    never  had     the 
slightest  idea  of  taking  to  himself  a  wife.     Only  man,  is  fool 
ish  !  Of  course,  we  all  know  that  marriage  must  be  in  the 
earth-life,  for  a  season,  for  the   sole  purpose  of   propagation; 
but  those  that  can  live  single,  even  there,  are  the  most  blest 
and  happy,  escape  all  turmoil  and  trouble,  and  live  nearer  to 
God  than  those  who  marry. 

We  do  not  admit  a  woman  within  the  limits  of  our  city, 
fearing  that  some  of  the  weaker  brethren  might  be  inveigled 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  119 

and  tempted ;  for  we  know  that  Eve  tempted  Adam,  and 
caused  him  to  fall  from  his  high  estate  and  likeness  unto  God. 

Man,  is  by  nature  more  nearly  allied  to  God,  and  woman 
to  Satan,  for  the  Serpent  was  Satan  in  disguise  and  could 
more  easily  reach  the  woman  than  the  man ;  and  as  woman 
is  the  connecting  link  between  hell,  the  devil  and  man, 
we  repudiate  and  cast  her  off  altogether ;  allowing  her  to  sink 
down  to  the  Satan  that  tempted  her;  whilst  we,  by  so  doing, 
raise  ourselves  nearer  to  God  and  Heaven.  We  doubt  not, 
there  may  be  many  women  in  heaven,  especially  Nuns,  and 
those  women  that  have  led  holy  lives,  Virgins  that  have 
never  known  a  man,  those  that  have  with  shame-facedness 
abased  themselves  penitently  before  God  for  their  common 
sin  with  mother  Eve,  in  being  the  direct  cause  of  man's 
temptation  and  fall.  We  suppose  that  even  wives  may  be  in 
heaven ;  but  only  those  that  have  never  sinned  in  any  way 
against  their  husbands  ;  those  that  have  purified  themselves 
continually ;  those  that  have  worn  no  ornaments  and  led  holy 
prayerful  lives;  these,  may,  many  of  them,  be  in  heaven;  but 
if  so,  we  know  they  there  become  unsexed,  and  are  more 
nearly  allied  to  man ;  and  that  in  heaven  all  are  angels ;  there 
is  no  sex  whatever ;  and  they  do  not  marry  nor  are  given  in 
marriage." 

And  then  he  exhorted  them  all  to  be  faithful,  prayer 
ful,  and  watchful  that  no  woman  tempted  them ;  for  satan 
did  not  tempt  man,  it  was  woman  whom  he  tempted,  and  it 
was  only  through  woman  that  man  could  fall ;  therefore,  as 


120  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

they  had  missed  heaven  it  was  entirely  because  they  had 
been  tempted  by  some  woman  while  they  lived  on  earth ;  and 
their  only  way  now  to  reach  heaven,  was,  to  be  very  watchful 
that  no  woman  entered  the  city ;  and  no  man  was  to  leave 
the  City,  because  if  he  did  so,  he  was  sure  to  meet  with  woman 
and  be  tempted  by  her- 

They  were  a  band  of  God-like  brothers  ;  dwelling  together 
in  brotherly  love ;  and  when  he  had  finished  his  discourse 
all  the  men  bowed  and  solemnly  ejaculated,  Amen  !  Amen ! 

The  speaker  now  let  his  glance  fall  on  Aristotle  and  my 
self.  He  recognized  Aristotle  and  beckoned  him  to  ascend 
the  rostrum  ;  he  then  said  with  a  bow. 

"I  will  now  give  you  an  opportunity  of  hearing  that  most 
learned  and  renowned  man  of  Athens,  the  great  Aristotle  ! 
But,  while  we  are  listening  to  him,  we  must  all  remember 
that  he  has  never  reached  heaven  yet ;  although  he  was  not 
plunged  into  hell,  because  of  his  great  wisdom ;  and  he  has 
been  wandering  for  more  than  two  thousand  years,  within 
the  limits  of  creation,  around  the  outskirts  of  heaven,  not  be 
ing  able  to  enter;  but  being  so  profoundly  wise,  we  allow  him 
to  come  here  and  discourse  to  us ;  yet,  I  warn  you  all  against 
anything  he  may  say  in  contradistinction  to  what  we  already 

know. 

ARISTOTLE'S    DISCOURSE. 

Aristotle's   deep  blue  eyes   sparkled,  and  a  slow  benign 
smile  wreathed  his  lips,  as  he  bowed  low  to  the  audience. 
The  men's  faces  all  lighted  up  with  an  eager  expectant 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  121 

look,  and  a  slight  stir  of  interest  was  manifest,  altogether 
different  from  their  former  dogged,  stolid  and  melancholy 
appearance. 

"Brothers,"  he  said,  "I  am  not  here  to  speak  on  the 
woman  question,  neither  for,  nor  against  her.  To  speak  in  her 
favor  is  not  allowed  on  this  platform ;  and  to  speak  against 
her  is  to  speak  against  the  mother  that  bore,  and  nourished,  and 
fanned  with  the  breath  of  her  loving,self-sacrificing,  and  suffer 
ing  life,  the  germ  of  my  soul  into  being !  But  for  her,  Aristotle 
could  not  have  been!  But  for  thy  mothers,  not  one  of  thee  could 
be  sitting  here  now,  listening  to  me,  or  to  the  brother  that  has 
just  spoken.  Even  that  brother  himself,  could  not  have 
spoken  to  thee ;  and  when  my  tongue  shall  utter  a  word 
against  woman,  then  may  Aristotle  cease  to  exist. 

But,  I  am  here  to  talk  to  thee  of  things  as  I  have  found 
them,  as  I  now  find  them.  My  life  on  earth  was  for  many 
weary  years;  and  I  have  been  in  this  life,  as  time  is  counted 
on  the  earth,  for  more  than  two  thousand  years ;  and  I  have 
not  seen  thy  God,  nor  thy  God's  heaven,  neither  hell  nor  the 
devil ;  and  I  have  questioned  the  angels  and  the  arch-angels 
that  have  been  here  for  many,  many  thousand  years,  and  they 
have  not  found  those  things ;  and  so  I  justly  conclude  that 
such  things  do  not  exist,  except  in  the  erroneous  opinions 
of  ignorant  men.  Is  there  one  among  you  that  can  blame 
me  ?  But  I  am  not  here  even  to  speak  of  those  things  ;  but 
to  tell  thee  about  the  things  which  I  have  found ;  to  speak  of 
things  as  I  found  them  in  a  long  life  on  earth,  in  a  longer  life 


122  THE  DISCOVERED  COUN1RY. 

within  the  heavens.     I  have  spoken  to  thee  before  from  this 
platform  ;  and  then  I  told  thee  how  the  sun  came  into  being, 
I  told  thee  how  the  earths,  which  are  inhabited,  came  to  be, 
how  they  were  thrown  off  from  the  suns,  how  the  suns,  after 
they  had   yielded  up  their  spirits,  became  magnetic  batteries 
of  electric  light  and  heat.  In  this  discourse  I  propose  to  show 
thee  how  the  earth,  from  which  thou  all  earnest,  for  thou  art 
now  within  the  spiritual  sphere  of  that  earth,  was  prepared  that 
thou  mightest  exist.     The  ring,  or  shell,  which  was  thrown  off 
from  the  sun,  being  somewhat  harder  than  the  real  body  of 
the  sun,  in  gathering  itself  together,  by  the  law  of  attraction, 
at  its  central  point  in  order  that  it  might  become  a  round 
globe,  cracked  in  pieces  on  its   surface ;  it  became  seamed 
and  ridged  everywhere  ;  it  was  yet  equally  mixed   together, 
solid  and  fluid,  and  of  course  was  still  very  soft ;  and  at  this 
time,  it  had  neither  water  nor  atmosphere.     As  an  apple  ap 
pears  to  be  rather  a  hard  body,  until  it  is  squeezed,  so  the 
earth  must  be  squeezed,  or  baked,  that  its  water  might  ap 
pear."     "As  soon  as  the  sun  became  a  blazing  body  of  light 
and  heat,  its  rays  struck  this   immature  earth ;    and   as  the 
earth  had  no  atmosphere  to  shield  it,  it  began  to  bake  and 
harden  very  rapidly;  and  as  it  thus  hardened,  the  water  was 
entirely  squeezed  out  from  the  solid  parts,  and  the  solid  part 
at  length  became  solid  rock.      Thou  all  knowest  that  water 
seeks  its  level,  as  all  other  things  seek  their  level,  and  it  ran 
down  and  filled  up  all  the  chasms  and  fissures  of  the  earth; 
and  now  the  earth  instead  of  being  soft,  like  an  apple  and 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  123 

equally  mixed,  was  nothing  but  solid  rock  and  water ;  but 
there  was  no  atmosphere.  The  earth  being  then  young,  was 
much  nearer  the  sun  than  it  is  at  the  present  time ;  for  all 
planets  as  they  become  mature  and  more  perfect,  recede  from 
their  parents,  as  all  apples  when  they  are  ripe  leave  the  tree, 
and  as  all  children  leave  their  parents.  The  earth,  lying  very 
near  the  sun,  was  intensely  hot.  The  rocks  were  like  coals 
of  fire,  and  the  waters  all  became  seething  cauldrons ;  and  a 
dense  vapor  surrounded  the  earth,  about  three  miles  in  thick 
ness;  this,  was  an  antidote  for  the  intense  heat,  and  within  this 
water,  or  vapor,  the  air  resided  and  was  evolved  from  it. 

Now,  as  the  earth  gradually  receded  from  the  sun,  and 
the  vapor  condensed  and  cooled,  great  storms  arose;  terrible 
deluges  and  rushing  whirlwinds;  forked  lightnings  constantly 
split  the  rocks  asunder,  and  many  of  the  pieces  were  hurled 
with  awful  force  into  the  chasms ;  but  all  this  was  only  per 
fecting  the  earth  and  rendering  it  more  evenly  balanced." 

At  length,  all  things  took  on  a  milder  form.  The  water 
was  now  comparatively  cool.  The  action  of  the  rains  and 
the  waters,  kept  wearing  away  at  the  rocks,  and  as  they  pul 
verized  and  separated  the  substances  that  composed  the 
rocks,  the  waters  carried  these  substances  along  in  their  em 
brace;  and,  as  like  attracts  like,  the  metallic  substances 
settled  in  mines,  or  beds  by  themselves  ;  but  salt  and  lime  and 
many  other  substances  were  soluble  in  water,  and  the  water 
retained  these.  At  length,  the  waters  levelled  the  rocks  to 
that  extent,  that  an  ocean  was  formed,  and  after  awhile,  the 


124  1HE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

earth,  receding  farther  and  farther  away  from  the  sun,  the 
waters  became  cool  enough  for  life  to  make  its  appearance 
upon  the  earth.  The  rocks  were  so  cool  that  moss  and  small 
ferns  began  to  form  upon  them.  Sponge,  jelly-fish  and  snails 
began  to  form  within  the  sea;  then  maggots,  worms,  insects 
and  reptiles,  gradually  were  evolved,  one  from  the  other, 
then  butterflies  and  small  birds. 

The  ocean  is  gradually  and  constantly  changing  its  bed ; 
and  as  the  ocean  receded,  it  left  rich  alluvial  soil  which  brought 
forth  rank  tropical  vegetation,  and  at  length  vast  forests; 
and  after  ages  had  passed,  the  forests  were  filled  with  wild 
animals ;  then  the  ape  and  gorilla,  and  from  them,  the  low, 
squat  savage  appeared;  and  from  this  man  gradually  arose 
to  his  present  estate." 

"Now,  after  the  water  had  yielded  up  its  atmosphere,  the 
atmosphere  in  its  turn,  yielded  up  its  etherial,  or,  spiritual  at 
mosphere,  and  within  this,  as  thou  all  knowest,  we  are  at  this 
present  moment  living.  It  is  the  first  spiritual  atmosphere 
that  surrounds  the  earth  from  which  thou  earnest. 

Brothers,  thou  hast  not,  any  of  thee,  been  in  this  life  but 
a  short  time ;  yet,  thou  art  well  aware  that  I  am  Aristotle,  and 
consequently,  have  been  in  the  heavens  for  more  than  two 
thousand  years ;  and  have  not  only  dwelt  in  this  sphere,  but 
in  many  other  heavenly  spheres.  I  have,  also,  been  able  to 
visit  thousands  of  other  planets  and  their  spheres,  both  spirit 
ual  and  heavenly ;  and  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  God, 
Heaven,  Hell,  or  the  Devil;  nor  yet  Christ 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  125 

The  earths,  and  the  first  spiritual  spheres  around  them,  are 
the  lowest  that  I  can  find ;  and  from  them,  are  being  gradu 
ally  evolved  the  higher  heavens. 

Brothers ;  this  is  no  speculative  theory.  It  is  as  I  actually 
find  things  !  What  more  can  I  say  ?  Brothers,  leave  this  city  1 
Come  with  me,  and  I  will  show  thee  all  that  I  have  seen  I  I 
will  teach  thee  all  that  I  have  learned  1" 


XXII. 

RETURNING  TO  HELENE. 

Aristotle  finished,  these  grave  men's  faces  all  wore  a 
brighter  look;  he  descended  from  the  rostrum,  and  to 
gether,  we  went  back  to  the  little  house ;  but  this  city, 
and  this  house  had  lost  all  charms  for  me,  and  I  was  anxious 
to  be  gone ;  but  I  loved  this  man  of  Athens,  and  so  I  said ; 
How  long  are  you  going  to  stay  in  this  city  ? 

"I  am  to  deliver  three  discourses  in  all,"  he  answered, 
"  and  that  will  take  me  three  days,  counting  time  according 
to  earth.  I  give  but  one  discourse  in  twenty-four  hours ;  the 
remainder  of  the  time  I  spend  in-walking  and  talking  with 
these  men,  as  many  of  them  as  will  listen.  But  thou  need  not 
remain.  I  will  see  thee  again  as  I  leave  this  city.  Return  thou, 
to  thy  Helena's  Villa.  She  awaits  thee." 

I  do  not  think  I  can  find  my  way,  I  answered. 

"Thou  hast  nothing  more  to  do  than  to  wish  and  will  thy 
self  there,  and  thou  wilt  soon  find  thyself  where  thy  desires 
take  thee." 

And  so  I  went  forth  alone,  and  left  the  city  behind  me. 
I  had  no  wish  to  ever  see  it  again.  I  longed  to  see 
Helene  once  more.  I  wondered  how  T  had  ever  found  it  in 
my  heart  to  leave  her  so  long.  I  felt  so  eager  to  return,  that 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  127 

I  trembled  with  impatience ;  and  as  I  desired  and  willed,  I 
found  myself  moving  with  great  velocity  in  the  direction  from 
which  I  came. 

Soon,  the  green  hills,  the  lovely  lake,  and  Helene's  beau 
tiful  Villa  came  into  sight ;  my  heart  bounded  with  joy ;  but 
perhaps,  and  justly,  she  would  be  angry  with  me  for  leaving 
her  in  the  unceremonious  fashion  in  which  I  had.  This 
thought  cooled  my  ardor  somewhat,  and  I  moved  more  slowly 
as  I  approached  the  door.  Perhaps  I  should  find  her  in 
tears,  and  she  would  reproach  me  with  bitterness.  Perhaps, 
alas !  she  might  not  be  at  home.  It  might  be,  finding  that  I 
neglected  her,  she  had  become  indifferent  to  me,  and  would 
not  treat  me  with  the  same  loving  kindness.  All  these  things 
and  more  I  thought  I  deserved ;  but  still  I  had  learned  much 
during  my  absence.  Perhaps,  Helene  would  forgive  me  when 
I  should  tell  her  that  I  had  met  with  the  great  Philosopher, 
Aristotle  !  when  I  should  tell  her  all  that  he  had  taught  me ; 
and  I  would  tell  her  all  about  the  shining  city  which  I  had 
visited  in  company  with  Aristotle ;  and  the  grave  and  singu 
lar  looking  men  I  had  seen.  Thus  thinking  I  ascended  the 
pearly  steps.  The  door  was  open ;  the  hallway  looking  rest 
ful  and  inviting.  The  parlor  door  was  also  open.  A  beauti 
ful  little  dog,  Helene's  pet,  met  me  with  great  delight ;  but 
Helene  was  not  in  the  parlor.  Her  chair  stood  by  the  open 
window  and  a  book  lay  open  on  the  table.  I  glanced  over 
the  page;  for  I  knew  she  had  been  reading;  and  these  words 
met  my  eyes. 


128  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

"Our  thoughts  are  constantly  with  the  absent  loved  ones ; 
and  they  are  conscious  of  them.  If  we  are  blaming,  or  think 
ing  ill  of  them,  they  feel  it.  If  we  allow  jealousy  to  rankle 
within  our  breast,  they  become  uneasy  and  unhappy,  or  sad 
and  dejected ;  and  often  those  in  the  earth-life,  not  under 
standing  this  great  natural  law  of  their  being,  drive  those  loved 
ones  to  commit  the  very  acts  which  they  so  much  fear  they 
may  be  committing,  by  allowing  thoughts  of  this  nature  to  rest 
in  their  minds ;  consequently,  we  should  never  allow,  or  har 
bor,  a  single  thought  of  an  absent  loved  one,  except  it  be  of 
the  most  loving  and  forgiving  nature ;  no  matter  how  per 
verse,  or  guilty  of  neglect  that  one  might  be ;  we  can  never 
make  them  better  by  thinking  ill  of  them.  On  the  contrary, 
by  cherishing  the  highest  and  best  thoughts  possible,  we  are 
often  the  means,  unknown  to  themselves,  of  reforming  even 
the  guilty  ones  on  earth.  This  great  law  is  well  understood 
in  the  heavens,  and  ought  to  be  better  understood  on  the 
earth.  How  often,  a  mother,  has  been  the  means  of  reform 
ing  a  wayward  and  absent  boy.  It  is  said,  her  prayers  were 
answered.  She  prayed  that  her  boy  might  be  good,  or,  if  he 
had  gone  astray,  his  feet  might  be  turned  into  the  paths  of 
virtue.  But  the  answer  to  those  prayers,  is  not  the  direct'  re 
sponse  from  a  personal  God ;  but  the  earnest  thought  of  the 
mother  reaches  her  boy,  wherever  that  boy  may  be,  and  influ 
ences  that  boy  to  be  virtuous  and  good ;  and  the  same 
law  holds  good  with  all,  more  especially,  with  soul  mates,  or 
counterparts;  for  one-half  cannot  suffer  without  the  other 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  129 

half  suffers  too.  One  half,  cannot  bear  an  ill  or  jealous 
thought  of  the  other  half,  without  that  other  half  being  de 
pressed  in  consequence.  More  than  this  :  We  can  compel 
that  other  half  to  return  to  us  if  we  will,  by  earnestly  desiring 
it,  and  continually  calling  in  all  loving  kindness.  In  fact,  we 
C2  i  influence  and  almost  control  our  absent  loved  ones." 

I  was  a  little  weary  after  my  homeward  flight,  the  couch 
looked  very  inviting,  and  after  reading  that  which  I  knew 
Ilelene  had  just  been  reading,  all  thoughts  of  her  meeting  me 
in  anger  or  reproach  vanished  from  my  mind,  and  I  sunk 
upon  the  couch  in  blissful  repose.  The  little  dog  nestled 
down  by  my  side.  A  bird  perched  on  the  window  sill,  and 
sung  a  sweet  song. 

Oh,  this  was  home  1  This  was  rest !  This  was  heaven  ! 
And  so  my  eyes  closed  and  I  fell  into  sweet  and  restful 
slumber,  and  as  I  thus  slept,  I  felt  Helene's  soft  fingers  move 
gently  through  my  hair  and  around  my  temples.  Presently, 
I  opened  my  eyes,  and  they  rested  on  my  darling  as  she  sat 
there  by  my  side,  caressing  my  hair  and  temples  with  her  soft 
white  hand.  Her  beautiful  dark  eyes  looked  into  mine  with 
tender  love.  Her  lips  wreathed  themselves  into  a  sweet  smile 
and  kiss. 

"So  my  darling  wanderer  has  returned  to  his  Helene?" 
she  said  archly. 

Forgive  me,  Helene,  I  replied,  I  know  not  what  impelled 
me  to  leave  you  as  I  did. 

"There  is  nothing  to  forgive  dearest  Herfronzo ;  you  were 


i3o  THE  DISCOVERED  COUN1RY. 

in  quest  of  wisdom  and  have  brought  home  a  goodly  amount, 
I  doubt  not,  and  now  you  will  share  it  with  Helene,  I  am  very 
sure,  and  by  so  doing  make  her  happy." 

Have  you  been  very  unhappy  in  my  absence  ?  I  asked. 

"No,  not  unhappy,"  she  said,  "and  yet,  not  quite  happy. 
Helene  can  never  be  quite  happy  away  from  her  soul's 
counterpart.  I  knew  my  darling  would  soon  return,  and  so 
I  tried  to  hold  my  soul  in  patience.  And  now  dear  love,  let 
us.. go  to  dinner;  you  must  be  hungry  after  your  long  fast." 

How  do  you  know  that  I  have  fasted  ?  Helene. 
"Because,  it  is  not  allowed  that  any  should  feed  you  with 
the  bread  of  life,  except,  Helene.  You  may  search  the 
heavens  and  the  earth,  through  all  time  and  space,  and  only 
she  that  feeds  your  soul  with  the  bread  of  life,  or  true  know 
ledge  of  heavenly  things,  is  your  own  other  self." 

"So,  come  Herfronzo,  and  let  us  dine !" 

She  took  my  hand  and  led  me  to  the  dining  room.  I  was 
exceedingly  hungry,  and  there,  the  beautiful  white  bread  was 
piled  high,  the  silver  dish  was  heaped  with  fruit  and  lucious 
grapes,  the  red  wine  glowed  and  sparkled :  and  a  beautiful 
little  boy  sat  at  table  awaiting  us. 

I  did  not,  at  first,  recognize  the  child.    He  looked  a  bright, 
beautiful,  roguish  little  fellow  enough. 

Ah  !  I  said,  whose  little  boy  is  this  ? 

The  child  looked  up  at  me  with  large,  soulful,  recognizing 
eyes.  The  recognition  was  mutual.  It  was  my  son  Karl's 
boy. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  131 

He  had  not  been  in  this  life  but  a  short  time.  I  opened  my 
arms,  the  child  sprang  into  them  with  fond  kisses  for  Grandpa' 

Well,  my  little  boy !  I  said,  how  did  you  come  to  be  here  ? 

"Grandma  fetched  me  here  yesterday,"  he  answered,  "and 
said,  she  would  leave  me  for  a  little  visit,  for  Grandpa  would 
want  to  see  me." 

Do  you  live  with  Grandma?  I  asked. 

"No,"  he  answered,  "but  she  comes  to  see  me  a  great 
many  times." 

Where  do  you  live  then,  little  one  ? 

'•Oh ;  I  live  in  a  school  with  some  other  little  boys  and 
girls.  You  will  come  and  see  me  too,  won't  you,  Grandpa  ?" 

I  certainly  will.  I  put  the  little  fellow  down  and  he  ran 
out  with  the  dog,  into  the  garden  to  play ;  and  I  could  hear 
the  dog's  joyful  bark,  and  the  little  boy's  happy  laughter,  dur 
ing  the  entire  time  I  sat  at  table.  Helene's  soft  eyes  sought 
my  face,  and  I  knew  that  she  would  like  to  hear  about 
the  things  which  I  had  seen  and  heard  since  I  went  away 
from  her. 

I  then  related  to  her  all  that  had  transpired;  how  I  had 
met  Aristotle,  and  the  things  which  he  had  told  me  ;  about 
the  shining  city,  and  the  men  that  would  not  have  any  women 
with  them ;  and  how  dissatisfied  I  was  with  it,  and  how  glad 
I  was  to  return  to  her,  and  home,  once  more.  Helene,  I  said, 
I  think  it  is  useless  for  me  to  demur  longer  about  eternal 
soul-mates ;  we  had  better  be  united  at  once.  I  feel  that  you 
belong  to  me ;  and  your  home  is  my  home. 


132  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

"Very  well,  my  dearest,"  she  answered,  "we  will  consider 
ourselves  as  one ;  but  our  considering  ourselves  one,  will 
never  make  it  so ;  and  if  at  any  time  you  should  find  another 
that  you  consider  my  superior,  or  one  that  fitted  you  better, 
then  we  will  disolve  the  partnership  at  once  ;  for  in  that  case 
we  should  be  mistaken,  and  I  would  not  be  your  soul-mate  ; 
but,  if  we  continue  to  grow  more  aud  more  perfect  in  each 
other,  and  our  love  grows  brighter  and  brighter,  as  time  rolls 
on ;  that  will  prove  to  you,  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt, 
that  we  truly  belong  to  each  other." 

And  as  we  sat  there  at  table,  our  soul  marriage  took  place, 
never  more  to  be  dissolved  throughout  the  eternal  ages.  Yet, 
I  did  not  understand  it  then,  in  all  its  completeness,  as  I  now 
do  i  for  many  years  have  passed  on  since  then. 

"And  now,  dearest  Herfronzo,"  said  Helene,  "we  must 
commence  to  learn  and  to  work,  for  from  this  time,  hencefor 
ward,  we  are  an  angel;  and  as  fast  as  we  gather  truth,  we 
must  distribute  it  to  our  loved  ones.  We  can  if  it  pleases 
you,  take  up  a  certain  line  of  work  and  follow  it  to  the  end ; 
or,  until  we  have  consumated  all  that  we  wish  to  in  that  di 
rection  ;  then;  we  can  take  up  another ;  and  so  forever,  we 
can  joyfully  learn  and  work  together,  and  we  can  never  have 
two  minds  about  anything,  or  by  any  possibility  disagree  on 
any  subject." 

Helene,  I  said,  do  you  suppose  it  possible  for  two  to  live 
together  without  disagreements  arising  sometimes  ? 

"Herfronzo,  she  answered,  when  we  have  our  first  quarrel, 


THE  DISCOVERED   COUNTRY.  133 

we  will  separate,  never  to  come  together  again,  for  that  would 
prove  beyond  a  doubt,  that  we  were  not  soul-mates." 

Just  then,  my  little  grandchild  came  running  into  the 
room,  with  the  little  dog  at  his  heels.  His  little  chubby 
hands  were  filled  with  flowers.  His  face  was  bright  and 
shining.  His  large,  beautiful  blue  eyes  sparkling  with  joy. 

"Grandpapa  !"  he  said,  "I  want  to  go  back  to  my  school; 
and  you  are  to  go  with  me,  are  you  not?" 

I  glanced  at  Helene.     She  smiled  as  she  said ; 

"Would  you  like  to  go,  dear  love  ?" 

Very  much,  I  answered.  I  should  like  to  visit  some  of 
the  schools  in  heaven;  and  more  especially  the  one  in  which 
this  little  one  is  placed.  It  must  be  a  good  school,  for  he 
seems  to  be  the  personification  of  happiness, 


XXIII. 
A  SCHOOL  IN  HEAVEN. 

O  talcing  the  little  boy's  hand  with  my  left  and  Helene 
| on  my  right,  we  started  forth;  the  little  dog  gamboling 
on  before  us.  This  was  better  than  it  was  when  I  started 
out  over  the  hills  alone.  We  were  now  floating  along  over 
beautiful  meadows  and  fertile  valleys,  the  lake  on  our  right 
and  the  green  hills  at  our  left.  The  child  could  not  be  re 
strained  and  so  he  ran  on  before  us,  chasing  butterflies  and 
playing  with  the  dog.  Presently  he  came  up  to  me,  with 
great  inquiring  eyes. 

"Grandpa,"  said  he,   "what  have  you  done  with  my  papa  ? " 

What  have  I  done  with  your  papa?  Not  anything,  dear 
child. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "you  carried  my  papa  away." 

No,  little  one,  I  did  not  carry  your  papa  away. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "my  papa  went  away  off  over  the  seas 
and  they  put  me  in  this  nice  school,  but  I  want  to  see  my 
papa !  Has  he  come  home  yet  ? " 

Oh,  yes;  he  has  been  home  a  long  time. 

"Then  why  don't  he  come  to  see  me?"  he  asked,  "and 
mama  with  him?" 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  135 

Because  he  cannot,  I  answered.  You  shall  go  with  me 
some  day  to  see  your  papa  and  mama,  but  they  cannot  come 
to  see  you,  not  at  present. 

A  shade  of  disappointment  passed  over  his  bright  face,  and 
then  his  laughter  rang  out  joyous  and  happy  once  more  as  he 
ran  and  frolicked  about.  We  soon  came  in  sight  of  a  lovely 
little  cottage.  It  was  a  home-like  affair.  A  pretty  trellis  ran 
over  the  front  door,  covered  with  roses  and  honey-suckles. 
A  little  garden  in  front  filled  with  pinks,  forget-me-nots,  sweet 
Williams  bachelor-buttons  and  various  other  old-fashioned, 
sweet,  home  like  flowers.  A  beautiful  green  lawn  sloped  down 
to  the  edge  of  the  lake.  A  little  boat  was  moored  close  by 
and  I  could  see  other  little  boats  dancing  over  the  lake.  A 
picturesque  little  island  was  distinctly  visible.  A  grand  old 
forest  was  at  the  right  of  the  cottage,  with  hills  farther  on. 
Waving  fields  stretched  away  at  the  back  of  the  little  house; 
a  number  of  tiny  outbuildings  were  clustered  about  it. 
Certainly,  it  was  the  sweetest  little  spot  that  I  ever  saw.  A 
number  of  beautiful  little  children  were  playing  on  the  lawn. 
A  great  dog  with  a  string  of  silver  bells  about  his  neck,  was 
also  playing  with  them.  A  lovely  lady  sat  by  one  of  the 
windows,  with  a  book  in  her  hand.  As  we  entered  at  the 
little  gate,  she  arose  to  meet  us.  The  little  boy  had  joined 
the  other  children  and  was  now  shouting  and  playing  with  all 
his  might.  The  lady  was  extremely  beautiful  and  yet  I  no 
ticed  a  tinge  of  sadness  about  her.  Helene  introduced  her 
as  "Mary;"  saying,  "that  she  had  charge  of  these  children;" 


136  THE  DISCOVERED   COUNTRY. 

there  were  about  a  dozen  of  them,  an  equal  number  of  boys 
and  girls.  None  of  them  exceeded  five  years. 

The  lady  herself,  looked  to  be  about  eighteen ;  a  sweet, 
dainty,  dark-eyed  brunette.  She  greeted  us  affectionately, 
looking  at  me  as  though  she  were  deeply  interested  in  me. 

This  is  not  much  like  the  schools  of  earth,  I  said.  What 
is  your  method  of  instruction  ? 

"We  have  no  particular  method,"  she  answered,  with  great 
sweetness,  "these  little  ones  play  the  most  of  the  time  and 
they  learn  about  all  they  need  to  know  in  their  play." 

That  is  a  very  singular  way  of  teaching  children,  I  said: 
it  differs  very  much  from  the  way  in  which  I  have  been  accus 
tomed  to  see  them  taught.  Do  you  not  have  any  strict 
discipline  ? 

"No,"  she  answered,  "I  merely  grant  their  wishes ;  that 
is  all." 

This  did  not  seem  to  me  to  be  the  way  that  children  ought 
to  be  educated.  Yet  they  were  all  very  small,  perhaps  that 
was  the  reason  why  they  were  taught  in  this  very  strange 
manner.  Presently,  a  little  girl  came  running  in,  her  lovely 
face  all  aglow,  her  golden  hair  flying  about  her  like  a  cloud. 
She  ran  up  to  Helene  and  Helene  took  her  upon  her  knee. 
The  little  creature  woun$  her  arms  about  Helene's  neck  and 
they  kissed  each  other  fondly ;  then  the  child  looked  shyly  at  me. 

"Get  down,  darling,  and  go  and  kiss  grandpa,"  said  Helene. 

•The  child  came  towards  me  with  both  her  little  hands 
outstretched. 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNIR  T.  137 

I  really  did  not  know  who  this  child  was  that  called  me 
grandpa. 

"How  is  my  papa?"  she  asked,  after  kissing  me. 

Your  papa  ?  I  questioned,  I  do  not  think  I  know  him. 

Helene  looked  at  me  smilingly. 

"This  is  your  son  Edwin's  little  daughter,"  she  said. 

I  put  the  child  down  and  she  ran  away  to  play  with  the 
others.  Do  you  live  in  this  cottage  by  yourself?  I  asked, 
with  no  other  company  except  the  children? 

"Yes,"  Mary  answered,  "but  interested  persons,  like  your 
self  and  Helene,  visit  us  continually ;  and  the  nearest  relatives 
these  children  have,  usually  place  them  here  and  then  visit 
them  almost  every  day." 

Why  do  not  these  children  live  with  there  relatives  ? 

Because  it  is  better  that  in  the  spiritual  world  they  should 
all  live  in  little  schools  by  themselves ;  and  there  are  thousands 
of  these  schools  here,  all  graded  to  suit  their  age.  The  child 
ren  of  this  school  are  from  three,  to  five  years  of  age  when  they 
are  placed  here,  and  they  leave  this  school  at  the  age  of  ten." 

Do  I  understand  you  to  say,  the  only  way  they  are  taught, 
is,  by  granting  their  wishes?  'How  very  strange!  Suppose 
they  should  wish  for  things  that  were  harmful,  would  you 
grant  those  wishes? 

"They  cannot  wish  for  anything  that  is  harmful." 

Well!  I  was  getting  very  much  puzzled  by  this  lady's 
answer.  Suppose,  for  instance,  they  wanted  to  sail  out  on 
that  lake,  alone,  and  all  get  drowned,  would  not  that  be 


138  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

harmful?      I   asked,   not  thinking  as   deeply  as   I   might. 

"They  do  sail  on  the  lake,  alone,  or  together,  just  as  they 
please,"  she  said.  You  forget  that  they  cannot  drown  under 
any  circumstances ;  and  they  learn  as  much  while  they  are 
sailing  as  at  any  other  time." 

Well,  suppose  they  wanted,  one,  or  all  of  them,  to  roam 
into  that  dark  forest,  yonder,  and  get  lost,  or  torn  by  wild 
beasts ;  for  I  see  wild  beasts  exist  here  in  the  spiritual  world  ? 

"They  can  neither  be  lost,  nor  torn  by  wild  beasts,"  she 
answered.  Wild  beasts  here,  do  not  tear  or  kill  anything. 
It  is  an  impossibility;  and  if  a  child  is  lost, — which  is  not 
often  the  case,  all  we  have  to  do  is  to  earnestly  desire  its  return. 
It  can  neither  starve,  nor  perish  with  cold  nor  hunger  and 
whenever  it  wishes  to  return  the  wish  fetches  it  to  us.  Occa 
sionally  a  child  wanders  off  and  enters  some  other  school,  but 
it  always  returns  again." 

Do  they  ever  quarrel  among  themselves? 

"No,"  she  answered,  "for  if  one  child  desires  something 
that  another  has,  the  wish  or  desire  creates  the  same  thing 
for  itself.  Wishing  for  a  thing  here  creates  it ;  for  all  thoughts 
become  objects  to  be  enjoyed  by  the  thinkers  and  others." 

But  suppose  they  had  bad  or  wicked  desires,  how  would 
it  be  then? 

"They  cannot  have  bad,  or  wicked  desires,"  she  answered. 
What  bad,  or  wicked  desire  do  you  think  they  could  have  ? " 

Well  really !  I  must  think.     Suppose  they  hated  something. 

"What  can  they  hate?"  she  asked. 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y.  139 

Not  you  certainly;  but  suppose  they  hated  each  other? 

"They  cannot  hate  each  other;  there  is  nothing  within 
them  to  be  hated." 

Then  the  idea  of  natural  depravity  is  not  correct? 

"It  is  not,"  she  answered.  Well,  don't  these  children  cry 
and  annoy  you  ? 

"They  never  cry,  except  as  you  hear  them  now,  shouting 
joyously  as  they  play." 

I  looked  out  of  the  window  at  them  as  they  played  on  the 
green  lawn. 

Why,  what  are  they  doing?  I  asked;  for  they  were  run 
ning  in  and  out  of  a  little  village  of  play  houses. 

"Oh,  they  are  building  a  village,"  she  said,  with  a  smile. 
"They  create  with  their  thoughts  all  kinds  of  playthings. 
They  reproduce,  or  imitate,  everything  which  they  have  ever 
seen  or  heard  of  and  my  work  with  them  is  to  attend  and  guide 
them.  For  instance,  when  they  get  tired  of  playing  about 
this  house  and  wish  to  see  anything  that  is  new,  or  wonderful 
to  them,  they  all  flock  about  me  and  ask  me  to  take  them. 
Then  we  all  float  off  joyously  together.  We  visit  something 
new  and  interesting  almost  every  day.  We  sail  on  the  lake. 
We  have  all  kinds  of  pleasure  and  happiness  and  when  we  are 
weary,  we  return  to  this  little  home,  or  school.  We  often  visit 
earth  together;  but,  if  not  together,  perhaps  some  one  of  the 
children  that  has  lately  come  from  earth  and  left  parents, 
brothers  and  sisters,  desires  to  go  back  oftener  than  the  others; 
and  then  I  take  that  one,  or  two,  or  three,  together,  just  as  it 


140  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

pleases  us,  They  are  now  imitating  in  their  play,  as  nearly 
as  they  can ;  a  village  that  we  visited  yesterday.  It  is  an 
Indian  Village  and  it  pleased  the  children  very  much.  We 
carried  presents  to  the  Indians  and  the  Indians  gave  us  all, 
presents.  If  you  look  at  their  little  playhouses  closely,  you 
will  see  that  they  are  Indian  wigwams." 

I  looked  at  this  young  and  beautiful  girl  intently.  For 
some  reason,  not  then  understood  by  me,  she  held  more  than 
a  common  interest  for  me. 

Have  you  guided  this  school  long?  I  asked. 

"No,"  she  answered,  "  I  have  been  with  them  but  a  short 
time.  I  left  a  school  wherein  I  was  being  taught,  or  guided, 
to  take  charge  of  this,  for  the  teacher  which  they  then  had, 
was  about  to  become  an  angel." 

Then  you  are  not  an  angel  ? 

"No,"  she  answered,  a  little  sadly,  u my  counterpart  is  still 
in  the  earth-life;  but  I  have  not  long  to  wait;  he  will  soon 
be  with  me  here." 

When  that  time  arrives,  I  suppose  you  will  give  up  this 
school? 

"Oh,  yes ; "  she  said,  "angels  do  not  dwell  in  schools,  they 
visit  them,  but  do  not  live  in  them." 

I  suppose  if  you  did  not  have  a  school,  you  would  be  very 
lonely  until  your  husband  came  to  you  here  ? 

"Yes,"  she  replied.  "Spirits  all  busy  themselves,  or  arc 
being  taught  in  schools  until  they  become  angels." 

You  interest  me  greatly,  I  said,  I  should  like  to  visit  this 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  141 

school  again ;  and  as  I  have  two  grand-children  here,  I  shall 
try  and  come  very  often. 

"Herfronzo,"  said  Helene,  "there  is  nothing  strange  in 
your  being  interested  in  your  own  daughter  and  her  school." 

My  daughter !  I  said  surprisedly,  surely,  she  is  no  daughter 
of  mine ! 

"She  is  your  son  Edwin's  other-self,  or  counterpart,"  said 
Helene,  "and  Edwin  is  soon  to  be  with  us,  here." 

Mary  smiled  and  blushed  and  I  was  astonished  at  what 
I  heard ;  but  I  was  making  up  my  mind  not  to  be  astonished 
at  anything. 

"Herfronzo,  dear  love,  shall  we  now  return  to  our  home  ? " 

I  assented:  and  bidding  adieu  to  Mary  and  the  children, 
we  were  soon  at  home  once  more. 


XXIV. 
A  BRIDAL  TOUR. 

E  took  our  seats  at  the  open  window,  looking  out  over 
the  placid  and  beautiful  lake. 

Helene,  I  said,  you  told  me  that  lovely  girl,  the 
teacher  of  the  school  we  have  just  left,  was  my  son's  other 
self,  or  counterpart ;  I  am  now  beginning  to  understand  this 
truth,  but  those  in  the  earth  life  do  not. 

"No,"  she  replied,  "but  if  they  did,  how  much  better  the 
eaith  would  be." 

And  thus  we  sat  conversing  together,  a  peaceful  calm 
resting  over  all  things ;  our  hearts  filled  with  pure,  holy,  con 
jugal  love.  Presently,  we  espied  in  the  distance,  a  little  white 
sail,  that  glowed  and  glistened  with  beautiful  light,  as  it  rapid, 
ly  approached  our  landing. 

What  little  boat  is  that  ?  I  asked. 

"I  think  it  is  Voncelora  and  Katrina,  coming  to  pay  us  a 
visit,"  Helene  replied. 

Soon,  we  could  see  them  distinctly.  She  was  right.  It 
was  Voncelora  and  Katrina.  We  went  down  to  the  shore  to 
meet  and  receive  them;  and  as  we  greeted  them,  they  seemed 
to  sparkle  with  joy  and  light.  Katrina  and  Kelene  went  into 
the  house,  whilst  Voncelora  and  I  took  some  seats  in  a  lovely 
little  boat  house,  close  by  the  lake.  I  could  not  take  my  eyes 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  143 

off  this  beautiful  being.  He  sat  there,  the  personification  of 
wisdom  and  love ;  and  when  he  turned  his  heavenly  blue  eyes 
full  upon  me,  their  sweet,  wise,  forceful  power,  caused  me  to 
tremble  as  the  weaker  and  more  ignorant  ever  must  before 
great  wisdom,  which  gives  power,  beauty  and  light.  He 
wore  a  shirt  of  dark  blue  satin,  trimmed  with  white,  and 
white  silk  trousers.  His  bright  hair  fell  down  over  his  shoul 
ders  in  a  graceful  waving  mass.  His  golden  beard  covered 
his  breast  and  on  one  of  the  fingers  of  his  beautiful  white 
hands  sparkled  a  brilliant  diamond. 

"You  left  us  rather  unceremoniously,  did  you  not?"  he 
questioned,  looking  at  me  with  a  radiant  smile. 

Truth  to  say,  I  did !  was  my  reply. 

"Did  you  find  friends  that  pleased  you  better?" 

A  blush  rose  to  my  face.  I  found  one  friend  in  whom  I 
have  felt  a  great  interest  for  many  years. 

"Ah,  indeed!  I  suspect  it  must  be  the  Fraiilein  Helene?" 
and  his  face  took  on  a  roguish  expression. 

You  are  right,  was  my  reply,  but  she  is  Fraiilein  no  longer ; 
we  have  united  ourselves  in  marriage. 

He  grasped  my  hand,  joyfully. 

"What !  so  soon  ?"  he  questioned.  "You  accepted  truth,  then, 
more  quickly  than  I  supposed  you  would ;  and  now  that  you  have 
become  an  angel,  suppose  we  take  our  boats  and  sail  over 
to  that  shining  city,  which  you  can  just  perceive  in  the  dis 
tance,  on  the  opposite  shore." 

I  should  be  delighted.     But  are  we  to  go  by  ourselves? 


144  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

"By  no  means,"  he  replied.  "When  once  we  become  angels 
we  do  not  go  by  ourselves,  unless  for  some  special  purpose, 
as  I  did  when  you  first  met  me  with  the  sheep. 

Helene  with  Katrina,  now  came  gliding  down  to  the  shore . 
we  entered  our  respective  boats  and  steered  for  this  city  of 
angels.  In  a  short  time  our  boats  grated  against  the  golden 
sand  of  the  shining  shore.  A  little  band  of  angels  greeted,  and 
welcomed  us  to  this  beautiful  city.  They  all  greeted  Von- 
celora  as  an  old  friend  and  companion,  and  he  introduced  us 
as  a  new  born  angel,  who  had  just  donned  their  wedding 
garments — the  bride  and  bride  groom — the  new  made  angel 
— whose  feet  for  the  first  time  were  treading  the  shores  of  the 
angelic  city  through  which  ran  the  highway  of  heavenly  wis 
dom  and  happiness— whose  feet  had  but  just  now  entered  on 
the  road  of  everlasting  love,  and  the  fruit  of  the  marriage  should 
be  pure  and  shining  truth ;  not  one  truth,  but  a  family  with 
out  number,  many  jewels  of  all  colors  and  sizes,  riches  untold, 
so  many,  they  never  could  be  counted.  As  the  angels  es 
corted  us  up  the  shining  shore,  I  turned  to  look  at  Helene, 
as  she  glided  by  my  side,  her  beautiful  hand  resting  within 
my  arm.  She  had  changed  so  much  that  I  hardly  recognized 
her  as  the  same  Helene.  Her  robes  were  of  the  purest  white, 
gauzy  and  shining  with  light.  A  misty  bridal  veil  enveloped 
her  and  almost  concealed  her  from  my  sight.  A  wreath  of 
snow-white  lilies  decked  her  brow.  Voncelora  and  Katrina 
had  undergone  a  similar  change.  We  were  all  now  floating 
instead  of  walking.  Voncelora  and  Katrina  appeared  as 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  145 

glorious  angels  of  light,  as  did  also  the  others.  The  city  lay 
sparkling  before  us  in  golden  glory.  I  will  not  stop  here  to 
describe  the  beautiful  and  elegant  structures  that  went  to 
make  up  this  heavenly  city ;  enough,  that  I  describe  one,  and 
that  the  one  to  which  Voncelora  escorted  us. 

As  we  approached  this  house,  the  angels  bade  us  adieu,  and 
we  paused  a  moment  before  entering,  that  I  might  have  an 
opportunity  to  take  in  the  details  of  this  lovely  abode.  The 
body  of  the  house  seemed  to  be  composed  of  an  immense  dia 
mond,  cut  after  the  fashion  of  a  prism  and  its  flashing,  sparkling 
light,  emited  all  the  rays  of  brilliant  coloring  that  it  is  possible 
to  imagine.  The  roof  was  a  saphire  and  domed.  A  golden 
spire  pierced  the  heavens.  The  statues  of  two  white  angels 
stood  in  four  forms  as  sentinels  upon  the  roof.  The  steps 
were  of  polished  marble.  The  door  of  shining  gold.  The 
windows  of  topaz.  Beautiful  flowers  bloomed  in  elegant  urns 
in  front  of  the  house.  Fountains  and  shrubbery  were  mingled 
together  in  dreamy  confusion  at  the  left.  At  the  right,  a 
sparkling  brooklet  meandered  across  the  way;  and  all  around 
were  other  houses  as  lovely  as  this  one  and  some  even  more 
so.  We  entered.  Voncelora  and  Katrina  were  the  same  and 
yet  not  the  same.  They  were  now  a  shining  and  glorious  angel* 

"Dearest  Herfronzo,"  said  Voncelora,  "you  are  now  with 
in  one  of  the  innumerable  cities  of  the  angels ;  and  this  is  one 
of  our  homes  within  the  heavens.  You  are  now  an  angel  and 
can  never  again  be  a  mortal,  or  a  spirit;  never  again  other 
than  an  angel." 


146  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

"You  may  now  go  on  in  love  and  wisdom  until  you  reach 
the  highest  heavens  belonging  to  your  earthly  sphere ;  after 
that,  you  may  go  on  until  you  become  an  archangel ;  and  then 
you  may  visit  all  other  planets  and  their  spheres  of  love  and 
wisdom." 

We  had  now  become  seated  within  the  most  sumptuous  and 
brilliant  parlor.  Helene  and  Katrina  had  laid  aside  their 
veils  and  now  all  their  glorious  beauty  shone  forth.  Katrina's 
bright  hair  surrounded  her  like  a  cloud  of  golden  glory.  Her 
blue  eyes  were  as  soft,  bright  and  fathomless  as  the  never 
ending  vaults  of  heaven.  Her  misty  flowing  robes  of  white, 
were  just  tinged  like  a  beautiful  sunrise,  whilst  Voncelora  was 
as  beautiful  as  herself.  His  hair  waved  just  a  shade  heavier. 
His  eyes  a  little  more  forceful  if  not  quite  as  penetrating.  He 
wore  a  soft  white  cloak,  with  breeches  of  pale  gold.  And 
Helene !  My  beautiful  bride!  My  bride  of  heaven !  How  can  I 
find  words  to  describe  her?  Her  night  black  hair— her  great 
dark  eyes  that  shone  like  the  stars  of  midnight— her  perfect, 
graceful,  rounded  form. 

Dear  reader,  did'st  ever  walk  on  a  cool  summer  night, 
when  every  star  was  visible  and  clear,  when  not  a  cloud  could 
be  seen  in  the  dark  blue  vault  of  heaven,  when  solemn  still 
ness  reigned  and  you  thought  you  could  almost  hear  the  grand 
march  of  the  worlds  about  you,  when  you  drew  long  inspira 
tions  of  the  elixir  of  life?  if  you  have,  you  know  something 
of  the  feeling  I  experienced  as  I  gazed  at  my  lovely  bride. 
There  was  not  a  Piano  in  this  parlor,  but  we  burst  forth 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  147 

in  a  grand  chorus  of  song ;  our  voices  rose  and  fell  in  perfect 
unison  as  our  souls  thus  gave  vent  to  happiness  that  we  could 
express  in  no  other  way. 

"And  now,  Herfronzo,  your  labors  must  commence,"  said 
Voncelora.  "You  have  not,  thus  far,  been  strong  enough  to 
accomplish  a  great  deal,  for  you  have  only  been  in  the 
spiritual  condition.  No  angel  is  ever  idle,  any  more  than  the 
worlds  that  never  cease  in  their  revolutions.  If  there  was 
such  a  hell  as  many  believe  in  on  the  earth,  every  angel  with 
in  the  heavens  would  rob  it  of  its  victims;  and  if  they  would 
not,  they  would  deserve  to  be  in  it  themselves.  In  one  way 
the  angels  must  rob  hell  of  its  victims,  for  hell  is  nothing 
more  than  error  and  ignorance  and  for  every  truth  that  an 
angel  imparts,  hell  is  robbed  of  an  error." 

Now  that  I  had  become  joined  to  Helene,  I  felt  powerful 
and  I  was  full  of  active,  energetic  life.  I  wanted  to  be  at 
work  and  I  could  perceive  there  was  work  for  me  to  do  for 
ever  more.  Many  in  earth-life  think  if  they  did  not  have  to 
work,  they  should  be  happy.  Many  more,  think  it  is  degrad 
ing  to  work ;  but  the  great  eternal  law  of  nature  is  work,  labor, 
movement,  progression ;  and  the  worlds  in  space  never  cease 
for  one  moment  in  their  motions,  in  their  growth,  in  their 
progression;  neither  do  the  angels;  they  change  and  rest, 
but  do  not  become  oblivious.  Spirits  sleep,  but  angels  do 
not.  I  was  now  an  angel  and  my  work  must  commence;  yet 
I  still  needed  guiding. 


XXV. 

THE  HOUSE  NOT  MADE  WITH  HANDS. 

is  my  home,  my  dear  Herfronzo,"  said  Vonce- 
lora.  Helena  has  only  her  Villa  out  in  the  spiritual 
realm.  I  perceive  you  still  need  a  little  guiding  and  I 
will  say,  that  your  first  efforts  should  be  to  construct  a  home 
within  the  city  of  angels.  You  will  find  plenty  of  space  just 
at  the  left  of  this  house.  You  can  make  your  residence  as 
beautiful  as  you  please  and  you  will  not  have  to  buy  your  land ; 
all  land  is  free  here  and  in  the  spiritual  realm." 

Now,  to  build  a  house,  was  precisely  what  I  most  desired 
to  do.  Helene's  Villa  was  very  beautiful,  yet  I  had  no  hand 
in  constructing  it  and  my  feeling  was,  that  I  should  prefer  to 
build  a  house  for  Helene. 

"Come!"  said  Voncelora  with  a  smile,  "let  us  go  out  and 
look  at  the  spot  where  your  house  is  to  stand." 

And  so  we  all  went  forth  and  looked  at  the  beautiful  spot 
where  our  house  was  to  stand.  We  were  to  remain  with 
Voncelora  until  our  house  was  completed.  We  were  to 
build  until  we  became  weary  and  then  retire  to  have  rest, 
pleasant  conversation  and  music,  until  we  should  go  to  build 
again. 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  P.  149 

Said  Voncelora,  "Herfronzo,  we  will  lay  the  corner-stone 
now ;  all  the  rest,  you  and  Helene  shall  construct  by  your 
selves." 

And  so  then  and  there,  we  four  laid  the  foundation  stone; 
it  was  of  solid  jasper,  four  square,  spotted  and  veined  in  the 
most  beautiful  manner.  Now  we  four  constructed  this  stone 
within  our  minds  and  this  is  the  way  in  which  we  did  it. 
We  first  decided  where  the  house  should  stand ;  then,  just 
how  large  we  wished  the  stone  to  be.  Voncelora  stood  at 
one  corner,  Katrina  at  the  other,  Helene  at  one  corner  and 
myself  at  the  other ;  we.  then  in  concert  fixed  our  minds  in 
tently  upon  just  what  we  wanted,  and,  behold !  there  it  pre 
sently  appeared;  a  solid  and  beautiful  jasper;  and  it  would 
remain  there  as  long  as  we  desired  that  it  should;  the 
only  way  in  which  it  could  be  removed,  would  be  in  the  same 
manner  in  which  we  had  placed  it  there.  And  when  we  had 
laid  the  foundation  stone,  Voncelora  said  "Let  us  now  go  to 
the  Temple  of  Wisdom  and  hear  the  angels  discourse."  And 
so  we  floated  onward. 

Presently,  the  Temple  of  Wisdom  came  into  view;  a 
glorious  and  beautiful  edifice;  and  the  most  lovely  angels 
were  going  in  and  coming  out,  and  as  we  passed  those  that 
were  coming  forth,  they  would  wave  their  white  hands  to  us 
and  a  dazzling  smile  would  light  up  their  features.  The  sight 
was  grandly  beautiful !  These  white  robed  angels,  their  faces 
shining  \^ith  wisdom,  each  one  in  two  forms,  male  and  female 
making  the  one  angel ;  each  one  strictly  and  evenly  balanced; 


i5o  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

not  as  they  are  on  earth,  mismatched,  mismated,  one  small, 
the  other  large,  one  desiring  one  thing,  the  other  something 
else,  one  understanding  a  thing  one  way,  the  other  another 
way;  but  they  were  inseparable ;  they  were  never  parted  un 
less  they  separated  for  a  very  short  time  to  carry  out  some 
work  which  they  had  in  common,  as  for  instance,  Voncelora 
left  Katrina  for  a  short  time  while  he  sat  by  the  sheep,  they 
were  working  in  unison  together,  to  teach  my  ignorant  spirit; 
whilst  my  darling,  my  other  self,  my  Helene,  awaited  with 
Katrina,  my  coming,  awaited  till  my  ignorant  soul  should  get 
enough  wisdom  to  know  and  accept  the  truth. 

Then  again;  Voncelora  went  with  me  alone,  back  to  earth 
that  I  might  see  the  last  of  my  body  and  visit  my  son  Karl ; 
whilst  Helene  and  Katrina  awaited  us  in  the  spiritual  world ; 
but  they  were  merely  working  together,  as  one,  to  bring  about 
certain  results,  and  such  as  this  is  all  the  separation  an  angel 
knows. 

Now,  as  these  angels  appeared,  they  fitted  each  other; 
and  yet,  they  were  very  distinctly  marked,  male  and  female ; 
but  no  blue-eyed  male,  was  mated  to  a  dark-eyed  female ;  both 
had  blue  eyes,  or  both  had  dark  eyes  and  in  size  they  were 
the  same.  They  perceived  truth  alike  and  had  one  mind  in 
all  things.  It  was  impossible  for  them  to  disagree  in  anything. 
They  were  loving  inseparable  souls,  forever  journeying  on 
together  in  the  paths  of  wisdom  and  love,  scattering  bright 
truth  around  them. 
"Look!"  said  Voncelora,  "Is  not  the  Temple  most  beautiful?" 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  151 

Yes,  I  answered ;  beyond  the  power  of  description !  Yet,  I 
will  try  to  describe  it  to  my  readers.  It  stood  on  a  slight  ele 
vation.  It  had  the  appearance  of  two  temples  joined  as  one, 
yet  there  was  but  one  grand  entrance.  There  were  two  domes 
of  saphire,  with  glittering  spires  on  each;  and  the  building 
was  constructed  of  innumerable  jewels,  all  of  the  most  rare 
and  beautiful  kind;  but  no  two  jewels  were  alike;  all  differed; 
no  two  were  of  the  same  color,  yet  all  blended  in  beauty  to 
gether.  It  was  a  blazing,  sparkling,  Temple.  Two  white 
flags  floated  from  the  spires;  on  one,  in  letters  of  gold,  was 
the  word,  Wisdom ;  on  the  other,  Love !  We  now  entered 
this  magnificent  Temple  and  the  interior  was  yet  more  beauti 
ful  than  the  exterior.  In  the  centre  of  the  hall  was  a  pure 
white  throne ;  and  the  congregation  was  an  angelic  throng. 
An  Angel — male  and  female — was  speaking  from  the  throne. 
Their  thoughts  took  tangible  shape  and  became  bright  and 
sparkling  truths ;  it  is  just  the  same  in  earth  life,  only  it  is 
not  understood ;  all  thoughts  are  real !  they  cannot  be  seen 
with  the  material  eye,  yet  the  spirit  of  man  feels  them  be  they 
good,  or  bad.  For  instance,  if  a  person  in  earth  life  enters 
the  presence  of  another,  he  feels  that  other's  thought,  although 
his  words  may  be  entirely  different  from  the  thought;  for  man 
can  try  to  deceive,  but  the  angels  never  1 


XXVI. 

VONCELORA  REVEALS  HIMSELF. 

'E  listened  to  hear  what  the  Angel  was  saying. 

"This  Temple,"  said  the  angel,  "and  the  truths 
that  are  taught  herein,  is  expressly  for  those  that  have 
just  entered  Angelhood ;  those  that  do  not,  as  yet,  know  just 
how  to  work,  or,  just  what  to  do ;  and  we  are  sent  here  to  give 
them  instruction  on  this  subject.  The  very  first  duty  that 
each  angel  must  perform,  is  to  teach  those  below  them  in 
wisdom.  Each  angel  must  take  up  the  duty  that  lies  nearest 
to  itself;  and  the  first  duty  is,  to  instruct  its  own  children; 
those  beings  that  have  come  into  life  eternal,  by  and  through 
them ;  they  must  teach  them  all  they  have  learned  themselves, 
at  the  same  time  they  may  impart  to  as  many  others  as  will 
listen  and  accept;  and  when  they  have  faithfully  imparted  all 
the  clear  bright  truth  which  they  know,  then  they  shall  go  up 
higher." 

Now,  this  was  all  the  teaching  that  was  to  be  given  forth 
at  this  time  to  the  new-made  angels ;  but  what  a  world  of 
thought  and  labor  was  contained  in  this  one  jewel;  and  so 
as  the  angels  heard  it,  they  passed  out  with  shining  faces,, 
each  one  intent  on  his  work ;  and  we  too,  went  forth  and  rested 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  153 

together  for  a  short  time,  in  the  house  of  Voncelora;  and 
while  we  rested,  thus  we  talked.  Said  Voncelora. 

"The  time  has  come  when  I  shall  reveal  to  you  who  I  am. 
I  could  not  before,  for  you  were  not  ready  to  receive  the  truth. 
But  first,  look  at  me  well  and  see  if  you  can  tell  who  I  am. 

I  gazed  at  him  a  little  tremblingly;  for  I  had  long  de 
sired  to  know  just  who  he  might  be ;  when,  lo !  My  own  father, 
stood  revealed  to  my  sight.  But  Katrina  was  not  my  mother. 
My  mother  had  been  a  dark-eyed  woman  of  Jewish  descent 
and  Katrina  was  a  lovely  blond.  Where,  then,  was  my 
mother?  My  eyes  had  not  as  yet  beheld  her.  Voncelora, 
as  I  shall  still  continue  to  call  him,  perceived  my  thought 
and  answered: 

"Thy  mother  is  far — far  on  her  journey  among  the  angels; 
but  you  shall  see  her  when  you  have  performed  your  first 
work ;  and  that  will  be  your  first  decade.  I  shall  now  tell  you 
who  Katrina  was  when  in  the  earth-life.  When  you  were  a 
little  lad,  you  often  heard  me  say  that  in  my  young  manhood 
I  lived  in  Normandy,  and  my  occupation  there  was  that  of  a 
shepherd.  Lads  and  Lassies  both  followed  the  same  occu 
pation  in  Normandy  and  there  was  where  I  first  saw  Katrina. 
She  was  at  that  time  a  lovely  little  shepherdess ;  perhaps,  ten, 
or  twelve  years  of  age.  Her  long  yellow  hair  hung  in  two 
braids  far  below  her  waist ;  her  eyes  were  as  blue  as  the  skies 
and  full  of  mischievous  fun.  Her  short  full  skirts,  black 
bodice  and  white  sleeves,  made  her  a  picture  worth  looking 
at.  as  she  bounded  over  the  rocks  with  her  bare  feet,  swinging 


154  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

her  broad  hat  by  the  strings.  Her  flock  of  sheep  was  not  a 
large  one.  Mine  was  a  larger  one.  I  had  a  bugle  with  which 
I  called  my  sheep.  We  each  had  a  large  shepherd  dog,  and 
they  became  fast  friends  as  the  days  went  on.  When  the  time 
came  to  take  my  lunch,  I  blew  a  blast  on  my  bugle ;  this  was 
for  Katrina  to  come  and  lunch  with  me,  and  we  used  to  sit  in 
just  such  a  spot  as  the  one  in  which  you  first  found  me  and  take 
our  lunch  together.  Katrina  brought  wheaten  bread.  I  had 
nothing  but  black  bread  which  was  considered  good  enough 
for  me.  I  gathered  wild  grapes  and  fruit  in  their  season.  I 
gave  my  black  bread  to  the  dogs  and  shared  with  Katrina,  her 
white  bread,  whilst  she  shared  with  me  my  fruit.  When  we  had 
finished  our  lunch,  we  used  to  go  to  just  such  a  pool  as  you  took 
your  bath  in  on  entering  this  life  and  drink ;  and  while  the  sheep 
were  peacefully  grazing,  we  sat  in  the  shade  and  made  love  to 
each  other.  I  used  to  say  to  her,  that  as  soon  as  we  became  old 
enough  I  should  marry  her  and  we  would  build  a  little  cottage 
on  just  such  a  spot  as  you  found  our  home  when  you  sat  by 
its  door.  Oh,  we  were  very  happy  then  and  our  love  for  each 
other  was  something  wonderful !  But  our  dreams  were  never 
realized  on  earth.  My  father  left  Normandy  and  went  to  live 
in  Germany  and  I  saw  Katrina  no  more;  but  her  image 
never  left  my  mind  for  a  moment  whilst  life  lasted.  Years 
passed  on.  I  grew  into  strong  manhood  and  at  length  mar 
ried  your  mother,  a  dark-eyed  girl  of  Jewish  descent.  Although 
she  made  me  a  good  wife,  we  were  not  intended  by  nature  for 
each  other ;  and  when  death  came  we  were  forever  separated ; 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  155 

but  I  can  never  express  the  joy  I  felt  when  I  found  Katrina 
awaiting  me  in  this  life.  She  had  loved  me  always ;  although, 
she  too  had  married  and  was  the  mother  of  many  children. 
But,  all  the  dreams  of  our  youth  were  now  more  than  realized. 
We  found  in  spirit,  the  exact  representation  of  the  beautiful 
spot,  in  which  we  made  love  as  children ;  and  there,  we  erect 
ed  a  cottage,  the  one  in  which  you  first  found  us,  and  we  have 
learned  all — and  more — that  we  have  been  teaching  you." 

This  then,  *was  my  father's  history ! 

"We  often  go  to  that  little  mountain  glen,"  he  continued, 
"for  pleasure  and  rest;  and  it  was  just  the  spot  in  which  to 
receive  your  new  born  spirit  and  give  it  its  first  lessons.  We 
also  received  Helene's  spirit,  and  instructed  her  in  the  truth 
as  it  is ;  and  she  builded  that  beautiful  Villa  in  which  you 
were  to  dwell  for  a  short  time,  until  you  should  become  an 
angel.  And  now  Herfronzo,  let  us  go  forth ;  for  I  am  curious 
to  see  you  and  Helene  at  work  on  your  house." 

And  so  we  went  forth,  and  my  Helene  and  I  finished 
building  our  house  in  the  city  of  the  angels.  It  was  an  ele 
gant  and  beautiful  affair.  Voncelora  and  Katrina  watched  it 
with  great  interest,  as  it  grew  into  shape  and  consistency  as 
we  together  constructed  within  our  minds  and  put  everything 
in  its  proper  place.  And  when  we  had  finished  it,  we  entered 
and  rested  within  it  for  a  season.  Helene,  I  said,  this  must 
be  about  the  time  Aristotle  leaves  the  city  of  brotherly  love ; 
he  said  he  would  see  me  again  as  he  departed  from  that  city. 
I  think  I  should  like  to  see  and  hear  him  once  more. 


156  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

"Very  well,  dear  love,"  she  replied,  "we  will  go  and  meet 
him  as  he  comes  forth.  We  will  invite  him  to  come  with  us 
to  the  Villa." 

So  we  glided  forth  and  entered  our  little  boat  and  sailed 
across  the  lake;  and  then  we  floated  over  the  hills  until  we 
came  near  the  gate  of  the  city  of  brotherly  love.  Leaving 
Helene  for  a  few  moments,  I  entered  and  asked  for  Aristotle. 
The  words  had  scarcely  passed  my  lips,  when  he  stood  before 
me  and  extended  his  hand  with  a  beaming  smile. 


XXVII. 

ATOMS. 

ARISTOTLE,  I  said,  my  wife  is  just  without  the  gates; 
I  have  come  to  invite  you  to  our  Villa,  that  we  may 
hear  something  more  of  your  wonderful  discourse.  I 
can  never  rest,  until  I  hear  more  of  that  which  you  can  im 
part.  It  is  the  knowledge  for  which  my  soul  has  thirsted 
ever  since  I  came  to  the  years  of  discretion. 

"I  will  accept  your  invitation  gladly,"  he  replied,  "but  first 
I  will  go  and  get  my  own  wife.  Our  separation  has  been  a 
long  one,  but  she  is  patiently  waiting  for  me.  We  should 
never  be  separated  at  all,  but  it  is  the  only  way  in  which  I  can 
instruct  those  dwelling  within  the  city  of  brotherly  love ;  and  we 
must  all  work  for  the  good  of  those  that  are  below  us  in  wisdom." 

So  together,  we  left  the  city  of  brotherly  love  and  joined 
Helene,  just  without  the  gates.  Aristotle  promised  to  be 
with  us  at  the  Villa,  very  shortly,  and  Helene  and  I  returned 
to  it  and  waited  for  him.  We  had  not  long  to  wait,  for  pres 
ently  he  appeared  in  radiant  glory,  his  counterpart  by  his  side, 
and  we  took  seats  within  the  lovely  little  parlor. 

"Well  Herfronzo,"  he  said,  "what  would'st  thou  that  I 
should  tell  thee?" 


158  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

I  would  like  to  know  more  about  the  worlds  in  space,  1 
answered.  When  on  the  earth,  I  often  gazed  at  the  moon 
and  wondered  how  it  came  to  be  and  the  method  by  which  it 
was  created? 

"My  son,"  said  Aristotle,  "the  moon  belonging  to  your 
earth,  is  a  child  of  your  earth,  not  a  spiritual  child,  but  a 
material  child." 

Yes,  I  said,  I  have  often  thought  something  of  the  kind; 
but  I  should  like  to  know  how  it  all  came  to  be  ? 

"Thou  rememberest  the  statement  I  made  about  the  sun 
yielding  up  its  magnetic  spirit ;  and  that  it  was  a  primary 
world,  never  intended  for  habitation.  Thou  also  remember 
est,  I  stated  that  the  earth  from  which  thou  earnest  was  a 
secondary  world,  a  child  of  the  sun  ;  and  being  a  secondary 
world,  was  intended  for  habitation.  All  things  toil  together 
to  bring  forth  intelligent,  imperishable  angels ;  therefore,  your 
earth  must  yield  up  its  spirit.  But  the  earth  having  brought 
forth  man,  he  was  eventually  to  become  an  intelligent  angel; 
and  as  you  now  see,  for  you  are  dwelling  within  it,  all  things 
on  your  earth  yield  up  their  spirit,  and  it  goes  to  make  the 
spiritual  and  heavenly  realms  in  which  the  spirit  and  angel 
may  dwell.  Now,  when  an  atom  within  the  composition  of 
your  earth  has  once  yielded  up  its  spirit,  it  cannot  be  replen 
ished  on  the  earth ;  it  is  worthless  and  drifts  about  at  the 
mercy  of  a  higher  law;  it  has  lost  its  power  of  attraction  and 
of  being  attracted,  the  atmosphere  takes  it  up,  carries  it  and 
thrusts  it  out  beyond  its  limit.  Now  there  are  countless  mill. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  159 

ions  of  these  atoms,  thus  rising  continually ;  and  when  they 
get  beyond  the  atmosphere,  they  crowd  and  push  each  other 
until  they  lie  in  a  helpless  mass,  or  belt;  or,  in  two  or  three 
belts  as  one  can  see  by  looking  at  the  planet  Jupiter.  There 
is  a  law  by  which  these  atoms  are  replenished,  or  revivified 
and  spiritual  essence  put  into  them." 

Helene  and  myself  were  listening  with  great  intentness 
to  this  wonderful  Aristotle.  He  paused ;  his  eyes  looked  so 
deep,  we  felt  as  though  we  were  swallowed  up  within  his 
grand  soul.  His  counterpart  quivered  in  glorious  light. 

Oh,  go  on  !     I  said.     Go  on  for  pity  sake  ! 

"My  son,  he  continued,  "these  worthless  atoms  must  be 
replenished  in  some  way.  All  the  other  atoms  in  space,  are 
filled  with  spirit,  they  cannot  be  robbed  ;  each  atom  has  only 
enough  for  itself  and  they  repulse  the  worthless  ones.  How 
dost  thou  suppose  these  atoms  become  revivified,  or  again 
filled  with  spirit  ?" 

Oh,  I  do  not  know.     I  cannot  tell ! 

4kWell,  I  can;  for  I  have  been  present  and  watched  how 
it  was  done,  he  replied. 

4 'Comets  are  not  the  nucleus'  of  other  worlds  as  many 
suppose ;  but  torches— great  magnetic  torches— vast  oceans 
of  pure  spiritual  essence  devoid  of  matter ;  and  they  circle 
and  sweep  around  among  the  planets  and  revivify  every  worth 
less  atom  with  which  they  come  in  contact.  Now  when  these 
atoms  have  again  received  the  spiritual  essence,  they  have 
the  power  of  attracting  and  of  being  attracted  ;  and  thus,  they 


160  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

weld  themselves  together  in  the  form  of  a  ring,  such  as  thou 
wilt  observe  around  the  planet  Saturn.  After  this  has  taken 
place  a  great  many  times,  the  ring  becomes  very  large  and 
heavy  and  the  earth,  by  its  motion,  is  constantly  repulsing  and 
throwing  it  off;  it  at  length  breaks  in  pieces,  then  by  its  own 
inherent  power  of  attraction,  it  draws  itself  together  at  its 
central  point ;  and  of  course  its  surface  is  all  in  great  yawn 
ing  chasms,  fissures  and  mountains;  but  it  is  soft  as  the  apple 
before  mentioned ;  yet  it  has  become  an  independent  orb  and 
commences  its  own  revolutions.  The  earth  holds  it  at  the 
proper  distance  and  there  rolls  your  moon.  The  earth  is 
young,  she  has  but  one  moon  yet.  Jupiter  is  older,  he  has 
four.  Thus  the  planets  go  on,  until  they  have  cast  off  seven. 
By  this  time  they  have  yielded  up  their  entire  spirit  and  they 
then  have  seven  moons  and  seven  spiritual  spheres.  When 
the  earths  have  accomplished  this,  the  remnant  of  matter 
which  is  left,  broken  and  robbed  in  part  of  its  spirit,  falls  in 
pieces ;  as  one  can  see  by  looking  at  the  Asteroids ;  these 
pieces  in  their  turn  fall  in  pieces  and  drop  as  meteors  into 
some  other  planet.  The  Asteroids  "are  gradually  dropping  in 
pieces  in  this  way  and  sending  meteors  and  meteoric  showers 
on  to  the  earth  from  which  thou  earnest." 

He  smiled  upon  me  benignly. 

"So,"  he  said,  thou  hast  become  an  angel!  Happy  art 
thou  1" 

He  rose  to  depart. 

Oh,  stay,  stay !     I  exclaimed.      Do  not  leave  us ! 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  161 

"My  son,  I  am  aweary.  I  will  go  and  rest  and  visit  thee 
again  at  another  time ;  then,  I  will  tell  thee  more." 

"But  thou,  thou !  Hast  thou  not  a  work  to  do  ?  Me 
thinkst  angels  have  been  feeding  thee,  hast  thou  none  to  feed  ? 
The  jewels  which  thou  receivest,  thou  must  give  unto  others,  that 
they  may  have  wisdom  like  thyself."  Saying  this,  he  departed. 

Helene,  I  said,  I  feel  a  cord  pulling  me  back  to  earth. 

"Yes,  dear  love,"  she  answered,  "I  have  perceived  this 
cord  for  some  time ;  it  is  a  prayer,  a  desire  from  some  one  on 
the  earth  that  loves  thee.  Let  us  follow  it.  Let  us  go  back. 

And  so,  hand  in  hand,  we  started  and  followed  the  cord 
which  continually  pulled  me  and  I  soon  found  myself  back 
to  earth,  face  to  face  with  my  son  Karl.  And  now  I  could 
see  him  as  I  had  never  seen  him  whilst  I  was  in  my  body. 
His  great  soul  was  absolutely  starving  for  spiritual  light  and 
food,  and  it  was  my  work,  as  well  as  my  duty,  to  feed  my  own 
child,  to  give  him  of  the  light  and  wisdom  which  I  had  re 
ceived.  My  son  was  a  member  of  the  church ;  and  yet  he  was 
starving  for  truth,  for  wisdom,  for  light.  He  tried  to  believe 
in  the  words  which  he  heard  repeated  Sunday  after  Sunday 
and  so  long  as  he  asked  no  questions,  so  long  as  he  did  not 
use  his  brains  at  all  on  the  subject,  so  long  as  his  mind  re 
mained  inert,  inactive,  it  did  very  well  outwardly,  but  when 
he  was  alone  his  mind  would  act  in  spite  of  himself,  and 
questions  of  vital  import  would  arise  within  him ;  and  these 
were  some  of  the  questions. 

"How  could  God  come  down  from   Heaven  and  beget  a 


162  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

child?  Where  was  heaven?  Where  was  hell  ?  How  strange 
it  was,  such  a  perfect  being  as  God,  that  had  power  to  create 
all  things,  should  make  such  a  creature  as  a  fiery  devil  and 
such  a  place  as  a  burning  hell  to  torture  and  burn  forever 
the  very  beings  that  he  had  created ! 

And  thus  my  poor  boy's  mind  see-sawed  backward  and 
forward. 

If  God  was  the  perfection  of  wisdom,  why  could  he  not 
have  done  better  than  all  this?  and  he  thought  that  almost 
any  man  could  and  would  have  done  better.  He  did  not  know 
of  a  man  living,  that  could  be  so  cruel.  "According  to  this, 
man  was  better  than  the  God  which  created  him." 

As  I  have  before  stated  in  this  book,  when  I  was  on  earth 
I  could  not  accept  such  ridiculous  nonsensical  stuff  and  not 
knowing  the  truth  as  it  was,  I  had  settled  down  under  the 
conviction,  that  man  came  into  being  through  natural  law 
and  death  ended  his  life.  How  could  I  now  teach  my  son 
that  which  I  had  learned?  Since  I  had  actually  passed 
through  that  which  is  called  death,  I  could  readily  enter  into 
sympathy  with  his  inner  life  and  his  spirit  was  so  fine  and  sen 
sitive,  and  so  easily  impressed,  that  I  found  little  difficulty  in 
photographing  the  truth  upon  his  soul ;  and  so  as  questions 
of  this  nature  arose  within  his  mind,  I  would  photograph,  or 
stamp  the  answer  back  upon  his  sensitive  soul.  Helene  and 
myself  now  visited  him  daily,  and  we  had  the  happiness  of 
seeing  him  grow  in  wisdom  and  the  perception  of  truth  as  it 
is.  My  son  was  a  man  of  genius;  far  higher  in  the  scale  of 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  163 

being  than  I  had  been.  He  was  the  only  one  of  my  family 
that  I  could  reach  directly  and  instruct  in  heavenly  truth. 
All  the  others  were  too  set  in  their  opinions,  and  these  im 
portant  questions  did  not  arise  in  their  minds,  but  I  visited 
them  all  and  did  what  I  could,  and  then  with  my  bride  I 
would  return  to  our  lovely  home  among  the  angels,  or  to 
Helene's  villa  in  the  spiritual  realm;  and  after  awhile  we 
builded  another  home  more  retired  than  the  other  two,  on  the 
confines  of  the  spiritual  world,  where  the  natural  and  the 
spiritual  almost  meet  and  blend  together.  Inclination  as 
well  as  duty,  now  prompted  me  to  visit  my  son  continually ; 
to  enter  into  sympathy  with  him,  to  answer  his  wishes,  or 
prayers ;  and  although  he  did  not  fully  realize  that  it  was  his 
father's  soul,  my  work  with  him  was  none  the  less  effectual. 
As  before  mentioned,  my  son  was  a  man  of  genius ;  he  was, 
in  fact,  a  musical  prodigy;  stamped  at  his  birth.  His  soul 
was  not  content  with  the  music  that  earth  could  afford.  He 
had  long  since  mastered  all  the  written  compositions  left  on 
the  earth  by  the  greatest  composers  that  had  ever  lived  there ; 
his  spirit  now  soared  aloft ;  he  desired  to  grasp  at  the  heavens 
and  fetch  down  music  from  thence ;  and  this  he  should  do ; 
and  who  so  well  fitted  as  myself,  to  be  the  medium  between 
his  spirit  and  the  great  masters  of  music  within  the  angel 
world;  but  first  I  must  meet  with  some  of  these  great  masters 
in  music  myself.  This  thought  gave  me  great  delight  and  I 
was  intensely  eager  to  find  some  of  these  great  souls. 
Helene's  thought  was  one  with  my  own,  and  together  we 


164  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

floated  back  to  the  world  of  Angels,  intent  on  paying  a  visit 
to  some  grand  composer. 

As  we  thus  floated  along  through  the  city  of  the  Angels, 
with  this  desire  uppermost  in  our  minds,  there  presently  came 
into  view  a  large  and  magnificent  edifice.  I  have  already 
stated  how  the  buildings  are  erected  here  in  the  spiritual  and 
angel  world,  so  of  this  I  need  not  speak;  enough  that  I 
describe  it  as  it  appeared  to  my  enraptured  view. 


XXVIII. 

TEMPLE  OF  HARMONY. 

©NE  angel  alone  had  not  constructed  this  elegant  Hall, 
or  Conservatory  of  Music;  but  many,  very  many  souls 
had  aided  in  building  it  until  it  was  the  perfection  of 
art  and  beauty.     These  souls  had  all  been  in  harmony  together 
like  the  ascending  scales  in  music ;  some  had  laid  the  foun 
dation  and  corner  stones,   while  others   had   built   upward; 
others  had  added  priceless  jewels;    and  art— which  is  but 
nature  after  all— had  joined  the  whole  together  in  one  spaci 
ous,  grand  and  most  beautiful  building.     The  centre  of  the 
building  was  an  immense  dome;  the  body  of  it  was  not  built 
in  angles,  but  rounded  everywhere.     The  dome  was  built  of 
saphire,  and  a  large  golden  spire,  sparkling  with  innumerable 
jewels,  towered  upward  from  its  center  towards  heaven.     Four 
smaller  spires  stood  outward  and  around    it   like   watchful 
sentinels,  all  of  gold  and  precious  stones.     A  beautiful  flag, 
waved  with  gentle  undulating  motion  from  the  central  spire, 
of  gauzy  cloud  like  texture  and  on  it  these  words  in  bright 
golden  letters  "Harmony  Is  The  Eternal  Law  Of  Heaven." 
A  smaller  flag  waved  in  the  same  manner  from  each  one  of 
the  other  spires.     On  these  flags  appeared  mystic  symbols, 
which  I  will  not  stop  now  to  interpret.     A  massive  arched 
entrance  approached  by  seven  steps;  the  first  of  polished 
granite,  the  second  veined  marble,  the  third  of  pure  white 


166  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

marble,  the  fourth  of  pearl,  the  fifth  of  opal,  the  sixth  turquoise, 
the  seventh  a  diamond  sparkling  with  light.  The  main  body 
of  the  building  was  seven  stories  in  height,  with  seven  win 
dows  in  each  story ;  each  window  was  arched  with  a  sparkling 
jewel  for  a  key-stone  in  every  one ;  but  there  were  no  windows 
on  either  side  the  massive  entrance  for  its  grand  architecture 
took  up  all  the  space  below.  Curved  golden  hand  rails  ran 
up  on  either  side  the  beautiful  steps,  as  aids  and  supports  to 
the  trembling  soul  that  desired  to  enter  the  Sanctuary  of 
Harmony.  The  windows  were  of  stained  glass ;  but  the  colors 
were  blended  in  such  perfect  harmony  that  one  could  not  tell 
where  one  ended  and  the  other  commenced. 

Now  there  were  wings  to  this  building,  seven  on  either 
side,  and  they  were  gently  graduated  from  the  highest  down 
to  the  lowest ;  that  is,  they  commenced  on  either  side  with  the 
lowest  and  so  gradually  ascended  until  they  joined  themselves 
to  the  main  building;  they  were  all  rounded  into  perfectly 
harmonious  proportions.  The  first  building  at  either  end,  was 
one  story  in  height  with  seven  windows ;  the  second  was  two 
stories  with  fourteen  windows ;  and  so  on  until  they  numbered 
seven  either  way,  all  joining  themselves  together  in  perfect 
harmony. 

There  were  beautiful  fountains  and  lovely  flowers  every 
where;  and  statuary — grand  master  pieces  of  art — they 
were  not  a  glaring  white,  but  a  lovely  shade  of  palest  pink 
and  all  the  coloring  was  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  natural 
divine. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  167 

As  we  paused  before  this  grand  master-piece  of  nature  and 
art  combined,  my  whole  soul  trembled  for  joy;  and  then  as  I 
looked  again,  I  saw  children  and  fawns  skipping  and  playing 
about;  beautiful  plumaged  birds  bathing  and  fluttering  in  the 
fountains.  There  were  groves  near  by  and  gentle  breezes 
sighing  through  the  trees.  We  drew  nearer,  and  entering  the 
wood,  stood  with  clasped  hands  and  enraptured  upturned 
^  faces,  for  nature  had  commenced  a  grand  overture  and  invo 
cation.  I  was  spell-bound,  entranced,  lost  to  all  objective 
things.  My  soul  was  thrilling  with  ecstatic  rapture;  and  then 
the  heavenly  voice  of  my  companion  joined  in  the  chorus. 
The  trees  were  filled  with  song-birds;  a  soft  stillness  was 
around  us  at  first,  but  presently  I  heard  a  little  bird  twitter 
to  its  mate,  then  the  answering  call,  then  a  gentle  breeze  swept 
through  the  trees ;  louder  and  yet  a  little  louder !  then  my  ear 
caught  the  sound  of  falling  water,  it  fell  gently  at  first,  then 
rippled,  then  rushed  softly,  then  a  gentle  roar;  while  the  birds 
twittered  and  sung  in  perfect  unison.  Now  I  heard  a  distant 
bugle  call,  and  the  sound  of  pattering  feet;  nearer,  still  nearer 
they  came;  and  now  the  strains  of  martial  music  caught 
mine  ear,  and  the  perfect  rythmical  tread  of  marching  hosts; 
and  yet  underlying  all,  in  perfect  harmony  and  time,  still 
kept  on  the  twittering  birds,  the  sighing  wind,  the  softly 
falling,  rippling,  rushing,  roaring  water. 

"They  are  marshaling  the  hosts  of  heaven  1"  Whispered 
my  darling. 

"I  did  not  see  them,  for  my  soul  was  now  all  enraptured 


168  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

with  musical  sound.  Nearer,  yet  nearer,  I  heard  the  march 
ing  feet  of  the  angel  choir ;  louder,  still  louder  rang  the 
bugle's  blast.  I  could  hear  other  distant  bugle  calls,  and  the 
far  off  sound  of  marching  hosts ;  then,  all  at  once  silence 
profound.  Then  the  sound  of  a  clear,  sweet,  ringing  soprano, 
and  the  solemn  answering  bass;  the  second  soprano  and 
tenor  caught  up  the  strain,  and  it  echoed  and  re-echoed 
through  the  wide  expanse  of  heaven.  Then  came  the  chorus, 
and  such  a  chorus  may  I  hear  forever  more ;  for  it  will  never 
leave  my  soul  throughout  Eternity. 

The  birds  all  sang  their  loudest  and  sweetest,  the  wind 
sighed  and  soughed  and  weirdly  whispered,  the  water  rushed 
and  roared,  the  bugles  called  their  loudest  and  sweetest 
notes,  and  all  the  voices  of  the  heavenly  hosts  rang  loud  and 
clear,  and  the  wide  expanse  of  nature  echoed  and  re-echoed 
the  heavenly  strain ;  then  .silence  profound. 


XXIX. 

BACH. 

kOW"  said  Helene,  "we  are  prepared  to  enter  the 
Vestibule  of  Harmony,  which  is  the  name  of  the 
edifice  before  us." 
Imagine  my  feelings  at  this  supreme  moment.  Here  I 
stood,  an  immortal  soul ;  passed  the  portals  of  that  which  is 
called  death ;  all  doubts  had  forever  vanished  away  with  the 
dark  and  dreary  past,  and  I  stood  now  in  the  bright  and 
beautiful  sunshine  of  actual,  experimental  certainty ;  and  I 
was  about  to  enter,  what  my  soul  now  longed  for,  a  most 
beautiful  and  magnificent  building,  wherein  were  gathered 
some  of  the  greatest  composers  and  masters  of  music  that  the 
earth  had  ever  known.  My  soul  was  awe-struck;  and  trem 
bled  with  joyful  emotion.  The  massive  portals  swung  wide, 
we  glided  through  them  and  paused  for  a  short  time,  for  the 
light  and  glory  within  was  too  much,  at  first,  for  my  new 
born  and  tender  soul.  Presently,  I  heard  a  deep  and  sympa 
thetic  voice  near  us,  and  looking  up,  a  gentleman  stood  there 
with  extended  hand.  He  was  tall  and  finely  proportioned, 
with  large,  dark,  piercing,  yet  sympathetic  eyes ;  wide,  full, 
clear  brow ;  fine  dark  curling  hair,  that  waved  to  his  shoul 
ders  ;  sweet,  full,  sensitive  lips,  with  clear  cut  harmonious 
features.  His  clothes  were  fine  and  dark  in  color,  and  fitted 


i7o  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

his  supple  form  perfectly.  A  small  jewel  flashed  and  burned 
on  his  breast  with  such  dazzling  brightness  that  I  could  not 
look  at  it,  and  as  he  extended  his  hand,  I  caught  the  gleam 
of  a  similar  one  on  his  finger.  He  looked  so  much  like  a  re 
fined  gentleman  of  earth,  that  my  embarrassment  and  fear 
left  me,  and  I  took  the  hand  so  cordially  extended  to  me.  It 
was  soft,  yet  firm ;  but  it  sent  such  a  thrilling  shock  through 
my  whole  being  that  I  dropped  it  in  sudden  fright.  He  gazed 
at  me  with  his  luminous  eyes  and  a  soft  smile  parted  his  per 
fect  lips,  showing  his  beautiful  teeth  of  dazzling  whiteness. 

"Take  my  hand  once  more,"  said  he,  "and  it  will  give  you 
strength ;  for  you  will  need  all  the  strength  at  your  command 
as  well  as  all  that  I  can  impart  to  you,  in  order  to  meet  those 
whom  you  will  see  and  hear  within  this  hall." 

I  took  the  extended  hand  once  more,  and  with  the  clasp, 
gentle  thrilling  shocks  passed  through  and  through  me  again, 
until  I  began  to  feel  large  and  strong  and  powerful,  as  though 
I  could  bear  to  see  the  heavens  open  before  me ;  and  then 
the  soft  and  gentle  voice  of  Helene;  said : 

"Herfronzo,  this  is^Bach!" 

I  gazed  at  him.  Great  waves  of  love  and  joyful  emotion 
filled  my  soul,  for  he  had  been  one  of  my  favorite  composers, 
and  times  without  number,  I  had  played  his  grand  anthems, 
his  soft  prayerful  melodies,  and  his  gliding,  whispering,  spirit 
ual  songs.  Oh,  I  had  loved  and  appreciated  him  well !  How 
little  I  then  thought,  that  he  knew  it  all,  that  he  had  often 
been  near  me,  listening  and  lending  inspiration  to  my  touch; 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  I7I 

but  now  one  glance  revealed  the  whole.  For  a  moment  I  felt 
as  though  I  could  fall  down  and  worship  him,  but  he  restrain 
ed  me,  saying. 

"Brother,  would  you  like  to  hear  me  play?" 
That  was  the  wish  then  upermost  in  my  mind .    He  led  us  up 
a  gently  inclined  way  that  ran  on  either  side  the  wide  portals, 
and  ushered  us  into  a  sanctuary.     It  was  lighted  by  one  of 
the   large   stained  glass  windows   before   mentioned.     The 
place  looked  so  home-like  and  withal  so  exquisitely  beautiful, 
that  I  lost  my  embarrassment  at  finding  myself  in  the  presence 
of  one  that  my  soul  had  revered   and  that  I  supposed  would 
be  so  far  above  and  beyond  me,  that  I  could  never  hope  to 
meet  him  on  such  terms  of  intimacy  and  equality  as   I   now 
found  myself.     He  politely  and  affectionately  asked  us  to  be 
seated.    We  seated  ourselves  in  some  soft  and  elegant  chairs 
that  stood  about  the  place,  and  then   my  eyes  roved  about, 
drinking  in  the  beautiful  vision.     The  room  was  circular  in 
form,  the  ceiling  a  dome  of  pale  azure,  but  so  lofty  I  could 
not  tell  of  what  it  was  composed;  what  surprised  me  more 
than  anything  else,  was  seven  large  globes,  turning,  wheeling, 
revolving  within  this  domed  arch.     I  sat  gazing  at  them  hi 
pleased  astonishment.     There  was  an  exact  representation 
of  the  Sun,  the  central  point  of  attraction,  light  golden  in  color, 
sending  forth  his  rays  of  light,   which  was  as   Aristotle  had 
explained  to  me  the  coalescing  of  two  great  principles  in  nature, 
Magnetism  and  Electricity.     Circling  around  the  Sun,  on  the 
outermost  limits,  was  a  pale  silvery  planet;  it  was  the  Mag- 


172 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 


netic  counterpart  of  the  Sun.  It  rolled  in  pale  majesty,  over 
and  over,  around  and  around;  and  the  Sun,  by  the  power  of 
its  magnetism,  obeyed  its  every  motion. 

The  grandeur  of  the  whole  thing  nearly  overpowered  me. 
Helene  glanced  at  me  with  her  large  magnetic  eyes;  strength 
and  assurance  returned  to  me  and  now  I  looked  again.  There 
was  Mercury,  Venus,  Earth,  Mars,  Saturn,  Jupiter,  Uranus. 
Now  these  planets  were  all  revolving  precisely  as  they  do  in 
the  heavens  and  I  could  see  all  things  appertaining  to  them, 
which  ones  were  inhabited,  their  differences,  manners  and 
customs.  Oh,  it  would  take  ages  to  learn  all  that  might  be 
learned  of  this  one  system  alone. 

"Well,"  said  Bach,  in  his  sweetly  thrilling  voice,  "those 
seven  planets  represent  the  seven  fundamental  sounds  in 
music.  All  things  in  nature  correspond,  as  you  will  not  be 
long  in  discovering  if  you  are  an  apt  pupil,  which  I  am  very 
sure  you  are."  And  he  smiled  his  brilliant  smile,  and  the 
jewel  on  his  breast  flashed  and  glittered  and  sent  forth  rays 
of  dazzling  light. 

The  walls  were  panelled,  but  in  a  very  strange  and  beauti 
ful  way.  As  I  looked  at  these  panels  it  appeared  as  though 
I  were  looking  out  through  a  vista  dim;  yet,  as  I  looked,  each 
view  became  clearer,  brighter,  more  entrancing;  and  again 
the  thought  that  it  would  take  ages  upon  ages  to  understand 
all  one  might  see  in  this  direction.  I  closed  my  eyes  to  bring 
my  senses  back  to  what  was  immediately  before  me.  I  glanced 
at  the  window,  and  T  was  looking  out  into  a  heaven  so  ex- 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  173 

quisite,  so  dazzingly  beautiful  that  the  window  must  be  stained 
to  soften  the  glory,  so  that  pupils  lately  arrived  from  earth 
could  look  and  not  be  completely  overpowered.  The  floor 
of  the  room  was  an  Emerald,  and  as  I  gazed  downward  I  saw 
dim  visions  of  spheres  upon  spheres  below  me,  and  if  one 
were  to  look  long  enough,  one  could  decipher  them  all. 


BACH    PLAYS. 


Again  the  sweetly  melodious  voice  of  Bach  said. 

"Brother,  would  you  like  to  hear  me  play?" 

Yes.     Oh  yes ;  I  had  almost  forgotten  that. 

I  now  saw  the  room  was  filled  with  all  kinds  of  musical 
instruments.  A  grand  Organ,  an  elegant  Piano,  a  Violin  and 
Violoncello,  and  all  the  various  instruments,  both  great  and 
small,  that  I  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of,  and  many  more  I 
knew  nothing  about. 

Bach  seated  himself  at  the  organ  and  commenced  to  play. 
Soft  and  tender  and  low.  It  was  the  crickets  chirping  under 
the  hearth-stone  in  the  house  where  I  was  born,  in  that  far 
off  time,  in  the  Vater-land;  and  now  the  soft  voice  of  my 
mutter,  crooning  pretty  measures  to  her  baby-boy;  and  now 
my  little  sisters  began  to  chatter  and  play  and  sing  their 
childish  songs.  The  little  birds  and  streamlets  joined  their 
voices,  the  summer  winds  caught  up  the  song,  the  trees  waved 
their  broad  arms  aloft,  and  the  ocean  commenced  her  boom, 
boom,  boom ;  and  then  a.  pause.  Now  I  was  dancing  with 
my  sweetheart  on  the  floor  of  the  old  barn;  now  my  marriage 


i74  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

bells  rang  out  sweet  and  clear;  then  the  rocking  of  the 
old  ship  as  the  waves  dashed  about  her ;  then  the  new  bright 
land  appeared— too  new  and  bright  to  be  very  comfortable 
at  first— and  then  the  hand  over  hand  struggle  for  existence ; 
then  came  sad  and  touching  requiems,  the  heavens  opened 
and  an  angel  ascended;  they  closed  again  and  heavy  clods 
fell  on  the  coffin  lid;  then  commenced  the  wailing  sound  of 
grief,  and  motherless  children.  Then  again,  marriage  bells ; 
but  this  time  they  had  lost  their  glad  sound  and  were  faint 
and  far  away;  then  the  paean  took  on  a  grander,  wider  sound 
and  the  march  of  life  began  in  earnest ;  little  fresh  new  voices 
were  added  all  the  way.  Then  I  was  lost  to  all  objective  things 
in  the  grand  finale.  It  ended,  and  there  I  sat  like  one  en 
tranced.  Ah;  that  was  playing  as  I  could  never  play." 

"And  now,"  said  Bach,  rising,  "I  want  to  hear  you  play; 
but  I  thought  I  could  not  after  hearing  him,  it  seemed  as 
though  my  touches  would  be  mere  infant's  play ;  his  gentle 
smile  encouraged  me,  and  I  seated  myself  at  the  Piano. 

I  touched  the  keys  softly ;  the  notes  took  on  a  heavenly 

sound,  and  I  played  a  miscellaneous  jumble  until  I  was  tired. 

"Now,"  said  Bach,  "we  are  going  to  straighten  that  all 

out,    every  thread  of  it,  until  it  shall    make  complete    and 

heavenly  music,  are  we  not?"  extending  his  hand  to  Helene. 

Her  beautiful  eyes  filled  with  tender  light,  answered  him  ; 

and  then  he  waved  us  an  affectionate  farewell,  and  we  left 

the  grand  hall  for  this  time  to  return  to  it  again  and  again, 

whenever   we   wished.     Helene   and   I,    already  had   three 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  175 

distinct  homes.  We  were  eventually  to  have  very  many  more, 
and  we  learned  that  the  angels  have  a  great  many  homes. 
When  we  desired  to  live,  for  awhile,  very  near  to  earth,  and 
the  lowest  or  primary  forms  of  nature,  that  we  might  gather 
wisdom  in  matters  we  had  not  fully  comprehended  when  in 
the  earth-life;  then  we  would  remain  for  a  season,  in  this  last 
home  which  we  had  builded  in  the  lowest  spiritual  sphere, 
very  near  to  earth;  and  it  was  often  easier  to  work  for  earth 
and  its  inhabitants  from  this  home  than  from  the  ones  higher 
up  in  the  spheres ;  and  from  this  home  we  could  put  our 
selves  in  communication  with  my  son  Karl  for  hours  and 
even  days  at  a  time ;  and  as  our  work  for  a  long  time  was  to 
lie  principally  with  earth,  we  needed  this  home,  therefore  I 
will  describe  it. 

It  was  a  small  white  cottage  with  only  two  rooms,  one 
above  and  one  below;  front  and  back  windows;  front  and 
back  door ;  hallway  and  stairs.  A  lovely  pond,  or  small  lake 
lay  at  the  back  of  the  house  with  a  little  boat  moored  to  the 
shore.  In  front  of  the  house  was  a  sweet  little  flower  garden. 
A  winding  road  ran  in  front  of  this  and  disappeared  in 
wooded  regions  yet  unexplored  by  us.  Mountains  and  hills 
were  in  front  of  the  house,  over  which  we  could  not  see ;  and 
to  the  right  were  cities,  towns  and  villages ;  and  here  we 
were  close  in  contact  with  spiritual,  animal  life. 


XXX. 

TEMPLE  OF  WISDOM. 

'E  shall  not  be  obliged  to  prove  to  our  readers  that 
there  are  constantly  coming  to  us  a  vast  number 
of  souls  from  earth-life,  These  spirits  or  souls  .are 
of  all  ages  and  conditions ;  no  two  are  alike ;  all  differ.  No 
two  ever  come  to  us  under  the  same  circumstances.  The  ex 
perience  of  one  is  never  the  same  as  that  of  another,  and  yet 
in  many  things  there  is  a  similarity.  Now  these  spirits  have 
been  passing  up  into  spiritual  life  for  ages,  and  can  any 
rational  being  suppose  they  are  all  shut  up  in  some  little 
heaven  or  hell,  or  resting  in  the  bosom  of  God  ?  Such  non 
sense  is  not  worthy  the  brain  of  a  very  small  child.  If  you 
in  your  small  earth-life  have  space  and  variety,  and  your  life 
is  but  the  commencement  of  a  grand  eternal  life,  can  you 
think  that  we  lack  anything  that  you  have,  or  ten  thousand 
times  more  ?  We  have  already  said  how  the  soul  of  man  is 
lead  by  the  beautiful  hand  of  love,  through  the  gates  eternal 
into  the  regions  of  bliss.  We  have  given  a  description  of  a 
visit  we  made  to  a  Hall  of  Harmony.  We  introduced  to  you 
the  soul  of  Bach,  and  now  I  shall  ask  where  you  suppose  music 
originates  ?  Do  you  think  it  has  its  origin  within  the  body  of 
man  ?  Nothing  originates  within  the  body  of  a  man,  all  things 
have  their  origin  within  the  spirit,  and  in  the  spiritual  realm. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  177 

After  we  had  rested  from  our  visit  to  Bach,  my  dear 
Helena  said  we  would  now  visit  some  other  place  of  interest; 
and  so,  hand  in  hand  we  floated  outward  and  upward.  She 
did  not  tell  me  where  we  were  going,  and  therefore  all  we 
saw  was  a  pleasant  surprise  to  me.  I  will  not  stop  to  tell  ail 
the  heavenly  beauty  we  saw  as  we  passed  onward,  until  we 
arrived  and  paused  before  a  palace  of  such  magnificence  and 
brilliant  beauty,  that  at  first  we  could  not  look  at  it;  its 
dazzling  beauty  blinded  us  like  the  sun ;  but  presently  our  eyes 
were  able  to  drink  in  the  glorious  vision.  The  building  was 
a  massive  structure  in  three  distinct  parts.  The  whole 
building  glistened  and  sparkled,  and  seemed  to  be  composed 
entirely  of  diamonds  with  all  their  deep  flame  colored  light. 
The  massive  entrance  was  sparkling  and  bright ;  the  steps, 
three  in  number,  were  of  opal.  There  was  an  ebony  knocker 
on  the  door,  for  whoever  entered  here  must  knock.  We 
ascended  the  steps  and  Helene  knocked  three  times.  The 
door  opened  on  the  instant  and  a  glorious  vision  stood  before 
us ;  it  was  an  Angel. 

The  angel  bowed  low  and  in  gentle  silvery  tones  bade  us 
enter.  The  vestibule  was  large  and  spacious,  and  the  interior 
of  this  building  was  lined  with  pearl.  The  angel,  in  polite 
and  gentle  tone,  asked  us  "why  we  came  ?  What  our  busi 
ness  might  be  here  ?"  and  we  answered ;  we  have  come  to 
see  and  to  learn. 

''Welcome,  most  welcome!"  said  the  angel,  "for  none 
that  wish  to  learn  are  ever  turned  away." 


178  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

Two  doors  were  opened  softly  and  silently  by  another 
angel ;  their  two  forms  standing,  one  at  each  door ;  and  we 
entered  a  spacious  hall,  followed  by  the  first  angel.  A  vision 
now  met  our  view,  too  glorious  to  be  accurately  described. 
The  immense  dome  receded  until  it  was  lost  to  view,  and  yet 
we  were  conscious  that  it  was  there.  And  now  appeared 
the  most  interesting  sight  of  all.  Here,  there  and  everywhere, 
hovering  and  floating  about,  were  the  little  forms  of  smiling 
cherubic  children.  None  of  them  seemed  to  be  walking  or 
touching  the  floor,  but  hovering  around  and  above,  smiling, 
dancing,  kissing  each  other,  holding  each  other  by  the  hands, 
forming  into  circles  and  throwing  flowers  everywhere.  These 
flowers,  as  they  were  thrown,  would  come  into  full  sight  and 
then  vanish  or  fade  away.  Many  of  these  little  ones  I  rec 
ognized.  Many  of  them  I  had  known  in  the  earth-life. 
They  were  all  little  wanderers  from  earth  and  had  no  parents 
in  the  spirit  world.  They  were  all  very  young  and  had  never 
reached  the  age  when  children  walk. 

The  children  that  were  under  the  guidance  of  Mary,  were 
of  a  larger  growth ;  those  that  had  been  old  enough  to  run 
and  play  and  learn,  and  knew  much  about  earth-life,  and 
remembered  their  parents  well ;  these  had  all  been  too  young 
for  that  and  remembered  nothing  of  earth,  or  how  they  had 
been  ushered  into  being.  Their  wants  were  few,  but  their 
little  minds  were  eager  to  drink  in  heavenly  wisdom,  and  so 
they  hovered  over  and  above  those  that  were  really  their 
teachers.  Opposite  the  entrance,  within  a  rounded  alcove, 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y.  1 79 

was  a  golden  throne,  inlaid  with  all  manner  of  precious  stones. 
The  throne  was  reached  by  three  golden  steps.  A  large 
golden  chair  stood  in  the  center  of  the  throne,  and  two 
smaller  chairs,  one  on  either  side  the  larger  chair,  formed  a 
half  circle.  An  immense  volume  in  crimson  and  gold  rested 
on  a  small  table  in  front  of  the  large  chair ;  and  I  saw  in 
shining  letters,  back  of  all  this,  these  words  :  Temple  of 
Wisdom  and  Love. 

Now  this  large  and  spacious  hall  was  filled  by  a  concourse 
of  angels,  and  seated  in  the  large  chair  upon  the  throne,  was 
a  bright  angel.  If  a  denizen  of  earth  had  been  ushered  at 
once  into  this  place,  after  leaving  the  body,  he  would  have 
thought  he  was  in  the  heaven  he  had  believed  in,  and  this 
bright  and  shining  angel  was  God;  but  of  course,  we  had 
been  in  this  heavenly  life  long  enough  to  know  better  than 
this,  and  we  knew  that  this  was  only  one  comparatively 
small  place  within  the  Angelic  Spheres. 

A  soft  silence  rested  over  this  large  concourse  of  beings, 
and  the  bright  angel  on  the  throne  arose  and  opening  the 
large  book,  raised  their  eyes  upward.  No  words  issued  from 
the  pure  lips  of  Wisdom  and  Love,  but  the  action  in  itself 
was  enough;  they  were  calling  down  blessings  from  a  power 
higher  even  than  themselves.  And  now  in  sweet  and  ringing 
tones  they  commenced  to  read  from  the  book. 

<4There  is  no  law  higher  than  this— That  ye  love  one 
another." 

"Blessed  are    the  meek    and    lowly,    for     they    shall 


:  HE 


i8o  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

inhabit  the  kingdom  of  Heaven— which  means  happiness." 
"Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see  God; 
which  means  all  that  is  good." 

"Pray  for  them  that  dispitefully  use  you  and  persecute 
you,  for  they  of  all  men  most  need  your  prayers." 

The  Angel  seated  themselves,  and  we  heard  the  notes 
of  a  grand  Organ,  and  the  congregation  commenced  to  sing 
a  glorious  Anthem.  The  music  was  so  sweet  and  grand  we 
were  entranced,'  and  when  it  was  finished  the  angel  again 
arose  and  commenced  an  eloquent  and  beautiful  discourse, 
and  this  lecture  I  should  like  to  give  verbatim  as  it  issued 
from  the  lips  of  an  holy  Angel,  for  each  word  is  impressed 
on  my  memory  forever  more. 


XXXI. 

JEWELS. 

Sisters,    Spirits,    Angels;"     said  the 
speaker;  "we  are  assembled  here  to-day,  to  speak 
upon  subjects  of  the  most  vital  importance.     We 
know  that  we  as  angels,  cannot  be  idle;  for  we  well  know  if 
we  were  to  become  idle,   that  moment  we  should  fall  from 
our  high  estate ;    that  moment  our  sparkling  jewels  would 
become  dim.     We  know  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  cease  mov 
ing  onward  and  upward ;  for  if  we  did  not  move  in  this  direc 
tion  we  should,  most  assuredly,  fall  backward  and  downward. 
We  know  we  must  work  and  be  dilligent ;    and  the  question 
each  one  of  us,  here  assembled  at  this  time,  must  ask  of  our 
selves,  is;  where  can  we  work  to  the  best  advantage?     It  is 
only  necessary  that   you  question  your  own  souls ;    if   you 
question  thus,  you  will  always  receive  the  answer.     No  other 
soul  can  give  you  back  the  response.     The  light,  the  glory, 
is    within   you.     We  do  not  stand  here   as   a  teacher,  but 
as  one   that   would  cheer   and   encourage   you   in  all  good 
works— as   one   that    would    aid    in    giving    you    strength 
to   carry   out   all  the  high  and  holy  purposes  that  you  find 
within  yourselves.     Neither,  can  we  allot  to  you  any  one  of 
your  missions ;  you  each  and  all  have  your  mission  but  it  is 
best  known  to  yourselves,  another  may  not  intermeddle  with 
it.     But  this  we  all  know;  unless  we  are  guided  by  love  and 


182       .       THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

wisdom  we  had  better  remain  idle.  This  beautiful  Temple 
which  represents  the  body,  spirit  and  soul  of  man,  has  been 
erected  by  the  combination  of  Love  and  Wisdom  as  it  exists 
within  each  one  of  you  here  present,  for  you  all  lended  a 
hand  in  the  building  of  it.  It  is  but  the  outgrowth  of  your 
own  beautiful  and  industrious  souls ;  but  it  is  a  real  building 
and  not  a  delusion ;  for  as  you  banded  yourselves  together 
and  placed  your  minds  on  that  which  you  desired,  it  became 
objective,  an  outgrowth  of  the  beautiful  within  you,  and  this 
most  elegant  edifice  is  the  result.  You  find  it  is  necessary 
for  you  to  band  together  and  rear  such  grand  halls  wherein 
to  assemble  for  renovation,  that  you  may  renew  your  strength 
and  courage  for  the  work  that  is  constantly  before  you.  We 
do  not  admit  within  these  walls  any  low  or  ignorant  being ; 
they  cannot  enter  here  until  they  are  fitted  by  love  and 
wisdom  to  add  glory,  beauty  and  strength  to  our  Temple. 
Every  jewel  that  enters  into  the  construction  of  this  glorious 
building  must  be  real  and  of  true  value ;  firm  and  enduring 
and  brilliantly  beautiful  without  and  within ;  it  must  not  be 
marred  by  either  spot  or  blemish,  and  it  must  be  kept  con 
stantly  bright  and  untarnished  by  the  earnest  dilligence  of 
the  builders.  We  all  know  our  work  lies  directly  with  the 
souls  of  our  brother  man ;  and  so  long  as  there  is  one  soul 
on  earth  or  within  the  spiritual  Spheres,  that  is  ignorant,  that 
is  unhappy,  that  has  a  single  spot  or  blemish  upon  it,  just  so 
long  our  work  lies  before  us  and  requires  our  love,  our  wis 
dom,  our  time,  our  dilligence;  and  whilst  we  are  working  for 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  183 

our  brother,  we  are  unconsciously  adding  brightness  and 
beauty  to  our  own  souls,  and  adding  jewels  of  untold  value 
to  this,  our  beautiful  temple.  When  we  last  met  here,  jewels 
of  immense  value  were  fetched  by  each  one  of  you,  and 
given  into  the  treasury  of  heaven  to  be  added  to  this  our 
structure.  They  have  been  placed  by  the  hand  of  Wisdom 
and  Love,  where  they  were  most  needed  to  strengthen  and 
beautify  our  Temple.  At  this  meeting  we  expect  that  many 
more  will  be  added." 

The  angel  now  descended  from  the  throne  and  stood  be 
hind  an  alter  of  gold.  The  angel  that  had  spoken  stood  be 
hind  a  polished  table  of  ebony,  and  the  other  angels  stood 
one  on  either  side. 

"Now"  said  the  first  angel,  "we  are  ready  to  receive  your 
gifts.  You  all  know  that  order  is  one  of  the  first  laws  of 
heaven,  and  so  each  one  comes  in  his  turn." 

Thereupon,  there  was  a  gentle  stir  in  the  audience,  and 
commencing  with  the  first  they  filed,  one  by  one,  past  the 
alter,  and  as  each  one  passed  they  left  a  precious  gem  on  the 
table.  When  all  had  returned  to  their  places  there  remained 
upon  the  table  a  heap  of  glittering  wealth.  The  angel  reach 
ed  forth  his  hand  and  raised  a  brilliant  jewel  between  his 
thumb  and  finger  and  held  it  up  that  all  might  see ;  but  he 
called  no  names,  and  none  but  the  angel  that  left  it  knew  to 
whom  it  belonged;  for  it  hath  been  said:  "let  not  your  left 
hand  know  what  your  right  hand  doeth."  Holding  up  the 
jewel  the  angel  read  therefrom. 


184  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

"A  cry ;  a  prayer  ascended  up  to  us  from  one  who  dwelt 
on  earth  where  we  were  born.  The  cry  came  from  a  soul  in 
agony,  a  lonely  desolate  soul;  one  too  weak  to  fight  the 
battle  of  life  alone.  The  cry  was  for  help;  help  from  on 
high.  We  heard  that  prayer,  we  hastened  to  answer  it,  we 
gave  to  that  soul,  struggling  in  the  bondage  of  error,  light, 
knowledge,  truth  in  its  various  forms.  We  aided  the  soul  to 
cast  off  its  bondage  of  darkness  and  it  became  light,  bright, 
happy  and  strong ;  and  able  to  aid  other  souls,  that  were 
brought  in  contact  with  it,  to  cast  off  the  bondage  of  error  in 
which  they  were  struggling,  and  to  become  free  and  happy  in 
the  light  of  truth." 

The  jewel  blazed  and  sparkled  as  the  angel  handed  it  to 
the  one  on  his  right.  The  angel  picked  up  another,  and 
read  thus. 

"We  heard  a  sob ;  a  sigh ;  we  hastened  to  see  from  whence 
it  came.  It  was  from  the  soul  of  a  little  child.  One  suffer 
ing  under  cruelty,  injustice  and  wrong.  Its  little  spirit 
struggled  hard  to  be  released.  We  found  a  kind  soul  that 
needed  that  child;  we  augmented  and  increased  the  desire 
of  that  one  to  take  that  child  and  care  for  it  kindly ;  and 
then  breathed  into  the  child  a  spirit  of  love  and  peace. 

The  jewel  glistened  like  a  tear  as  the  angel  gave  it  to  the 
one  on  the  left.  They  held  up  another  and  this  was  the 
reading. 

uWe  heard  the  cry  of  a  strong  man,  and  he  said.  'All  is 
darkness.  The  life  on  earth  is  but  a  bubble,  and  the  death 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  F.  185 

of  the  body  the  end.  Life  is  not  worth  the  living.  The 
struggle  for  existence  is  too  great  I  almost  have  a  mind  to 
end  it  and  lay  my  weary  body  down  in  the  grave,  where  all 
is  darkness,  oblivion  and  rest.  I  stand  on  the  cold  mountain 
heights  alone.  No  one  loves  me,  or  if  they  seem  to  it  is 
not  for  myself,  but  for  what  I  may  be  able  to  do  for 
them.  No  one  understands  me,  or  has  any  sympathy  in 
common  with  me.  The  constant  cry  is,  give ;  give ;  give ; 
but  where  am  I  to  receive  strength  that  I  may  be  able  to 
give  ?  for  light  and  hope  dwell  not  within  my  soul.'  And  we 
went  and  found  one  who  could  answer  every  cry  which  the 
strong  man  sent  forth ;  and  his  soul  was  lightened  of  its 
burdens,  and  he  found  within  that  other  soul  all  he  needed,  and 
the  path  of  Eternal  Life  was  made  clear  to  him,  and  his  cry 
for  unselfish  love  met  with  its  fulfilment,  and  he  became 
strong,  hopeful  and  happy,  and  able  to  meet  the  great  de 
mands  made  on  him." 

The  jewel  glittered  and  blazed  and  burned,  and  the  angel 
passed  it  to  the  one  on  the  right ;  and  yet,  they  picked  up 
another,  and  read  thus : 

"A  little  child  had  passed  through  the  Gates  Eternal,  and 
was  lying  happy  and  content  in  the  arms  of  an  angel.  We 
heard  the  mother's  wail  of  grief,  and  hastened  to  comfort  her. 
She  was  kneeling  by  the  grave  of  her  baby,  desolate  and 
heart-broken ;  to  her  the  child  was  dead — she  would  never 
see  it  more — the  heaven  she  believed  in  was  too  far  off,  too 
indefinite ;  she  felt  that  her  baby  was  lost  to  her  forever. 


1 86  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

We  whispered  words  of  hope  and  comfort  to  that  sorrowing 
heart,  placed  the  spirit-form  of  the  babe  within  her  arms,  and 
then  with  gentle  magnetic  touches  we  opened  the  mother's 
spiritual  sight  and  she  saw  the  babe  within  her  arms,  she 
felt  its  little  hands  caress  her  face,  its  little  lips  as  they  were 
pressed  to  hers,  she  looked  into  its  beautiful  spiritual  eyes 
and  her  tears  were  dried.  'My  baby !  oh  my  baby !  You 
are  not  dead  but  here  with  me." 

The  jewel  was  a  pearl,  and  it  sent  forth  rays  of  soft 
and  beautiful  light  as  the  angel  passed  it  to  the  one  on  the 
left. 

"You  all  know,"  said  the  angel,  "that  every  jewel  here 
has  its  own  story.  Some  kind  and  loving  deed  was  done  ;  if 
not  directly  to  the  denizens  of  earth,  to  some  new-born  spirit. 
Some  of  these  jewels  represent  the  taking  and  caring  for 
infants  sent  into  spirit-life,  before  they  ought  to  come, 
through  the  ignorance  of  parents.  Other  of  these  gems,  are 
of  those  that  think  out  inventions  and  improvements  of  all 
kinds  for  the  benefit  of  both  earth  and  heaven.  Others,  for 
the  amelioration  of  all  suffering,  and  using  their  influence 
to  bring  those  together  that  will  give  the  greatest  amount  of 
happiness  to  each  other ;  for  happiness  is  heaven  and  heaven 
is  happiness;  and  you  all  know  that  ignorance  and  suffering 
is  all  the  hell  there  is,  or  ever  will  be ;  and  it  is  to  save  man 
kind,  both  in  and  out  of  the  body,  from  ignorance,  suffering,  or 
hell,  that  we  all  are  constantly  working.  We  also  know  that 
whenever  any  creature  suffers  there  is  ignorance  and  wrong 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  187 

i 

some  where.  If  the  wrong  has  not  been  committed  by  the 
sufferer,  it  has  been  committed  by  some  one ;  and  it  is  to 
right  these  wrongs,  and  to  bring  all  things  into  harmonious 
and  happy  relations,  that  we  are  constantly  at  work.  The 
greatest  amount  of  suffering  known  to  us  is  caused  by  igno 
rance.  To  enlighten  those  below  us  in  wisdom  will  event 
ually  create  a  heaven  for  all,  and  at  last  all  will  inhabit  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  which  is  happiness. 

The  angel  now  closed  the  book;  the  other  two  angels 
gathered  up  the  jewels  and  gently  glided  behind  the  throne ; 
and  the  angel  that  had  spoken  raised  their  hands  and  eyes 
upward  and  blessed  the  congregation ;  then  the  organ  sent 
forth  a  glorious,  heavenly  peal,  and  the  angels  passed  out, 
each  one  to  their  work,  and  Helene  and  I  followed. 

Helene's  lovely  eyes  had  gathered  new  strength  and 
beauty ;  her  sweet  lips  wore  a  more  heavenly  smile  ;  her  ex 
quisite  form  swayed  in  unison  with  her  happy  thoughts  and 
high  resolves,  and  I  followed  her  lead,  for  without  her  I  was 
but  a  dark  and  unhappy  being.  Now  for  a  short  time  we 
would  go  and  rest  ourselves. 


XXXII. 

WALALU. 

went  to  the  piano  and  commenced  playing.  First  a  grand 
impulsive  wave,  with  a  minor  undertone  of  sorrowful  re 
gret.  Then  soft,  tender,  sympathetic,  tearful  sounds,  as 
it  were  angels  weeping  over  their  loved  ones  yet  in  sorrow 
and  darkness.  Then  the  grave,  deep,  solemn,  yearning 
earnestness  of  a  father's  soul  that  had  found  immortality, 
peace,  rest,  joy  and  heaven.  Then  the  thrilling,  sweeping, 
wave  upon  wave  that  would  not  cease  in  its  effort,  until  it 
reached  earth  and  the  loved  ones  left  therein  and  the  quiver 
ing  sounds  entered  their  souls  and  pierced  and  stirred  them 
up,  until  they  should  comprehend  immortal  truth,  which  means 
the  immortality  of  the  soul.  Then  the  gentle  ceaseless 
patter  of  untiring  effort  to  raise  them  upward  and  guide  them 
onward.  Now  the  sweet  ecstatic  sounds  of  a  blending,  har 
monious,  heavenly  love;  the  giving  and  receiving  of  the 
sweetest  and  most  harmonious  chords  of  the  soul  of  man. 
Now  the  soft  gentle  sounds  of  angels  hovering  near.  Now 
the  joyful,  thankful  sounds  as  they  find  their  efforts  rewarded 
by  slow  but  sure  recognition.  Now  the  grand  joyful  anthem 
of  never  ending  thankfulness  and  praise. 

My  being  became  enraptured  with  the  music  it  bore  with- 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  189 

in  it,  and  I  played  the  joyful  strains  over  and  over  again;  now 
louder,  now  softer ;  now  louder,  still  louder ;  then  sinking  to 
the  softest,  sweetest  whisperings ;  and  so  I  kept  on.  I  cannot 
say  how  long;  Helene's  sweet  voice  singing  in  perfect  unison 
and  time  with  every  note  struck,  her  beautiful  enraptured 
face  turned  heavenward,  her  soft  eyes  filled  with  liquid 
heavenly  light.  Then  we  finished  with  the  sounds  and 
words:  Oh  ;  this  is  rest ;  this  is  peace;  this  is  joy;  this  is 
life  eternal ;  this  is  the  heaven  long  sought  for  and  obtained. 
This  the  never-ending  joy;  this  the  everlasting  peace;  this 
the  eternal  heaven.  I  ceased  playing;  some  other  soul  was 
standing  near.  I  looked  around  and  my  eyes  fell  upon  an 
extremely  beautiful  creature ;  it  was  the  form  of  an  Indian 
girl  with  her  lovely  hand  resting  on  the  neck  of  a  fawn  which 
stood  close  by  her  side,  its  great  beautiful  eyes  looking 
straight  into  mine  as  though  listening  intently  and  with 
pleasure,  to  my  music. 

The  girl's  straight  lithe  form  was  swaying  like  the  wind, 
her  dark  eyes  gleaming  and  dancing  with  joy.  Her  long, 
thick,  black  hair  streaming  down  almost  to  her  feet.  Her 
neck,  arms,  feet  and  legs  were  bare.  A  little  crimson  robe, 
reaching  to  the  knees,  clung  gracefully  about  the  rounded 
and  beautiful  form,  confined  about  the  waist  by  a  sash  of 
gold.  A  jaunty  little  cap  adorned  with  an  elegant  white 
feather,  rested  on  the  graceful  head.  Her  appearance  was 
that  of  one  about  sixteen  years  of  age.  Helene  went  forward 
and  gave  her  hand  to  the  Indian  maiden. 


190  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

"Welcome,  dear  Walalu,"  she  said.  "Did  our  music 
fetch  you  here  ?" 

"Me  love  music  much"  answered  the  silvery  voice.  "That 
very  small  thing  make  very  big  music,"  meaning  the  Piano; 
but  great  forest  trees  make  much  better." 

What  kind  of  music  do  you  hear  in  the  great  trees?  I 
asked,  deeply  interested  in  the  lovely  wild  creature.  Her 
eyes  dilated.  She  raised  her  dark  lovely  arms  aloft,  swaying 
them  to  represent  the  motions  of  the  trees  and  their  branches ; 
her  head  and  the  uppper  portion  of  her  body  moving  in 
unison  and  time  as  she  went  on. 

"Me  sing  you  sweet  song  the  trees  sing  to  me."  And 
this  is  the  song  she  sung,  the  silvery  voice  imitating  the 
winds  and  swaying  branches.  She  commenced  with  a  low, 
soft,  sighing  sound;  her  lovely  hands  and  arms  moving 
slowly  and  gracefully  above  and  around  her  swaying  head. 
Then  the  leaves  on  all  the  trees  began  to  flutter,  her  little 
fingers  quivering  and  fluttering  as  did  her  voice.  Her  mo 
tions  and  voice  changed  rapidly  as  she  represented  the  leaves 
of  the  different  trees  of  the  forest ;  the  trembling  flutter  of 
the  poplar;  her  little  fingers  would  straighten  out  like  the 
needles  of  the  pine,  and  her  voice  would  sing  a  mournful 
hush;  then  the  beach,  the  oak,  the  maple,  the  cotton-wood, 
all  were  represented.  Then  the  wind  would  blow  with  great 
er  power,  and  the  gale  would  become  so  strong  that  her  arms 
and  body  swayed  in  all  directions,  until  she  would  nearly 
touch  the  floor  at  every  motion  ;  her  voice  exactly  imitating 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  191 

the  sighing,  rushing,  roaring  wind,  Gust  after  gust,  now 
would  strike  the  trees;  then  all  at  once  she  stood  motionless, 
her  eyes  flashing,  her  breast  heaving.  Then  the  scream  of 
an  eagle  broke  the  silence,  her  arms  waving  majestically  as 
he  soared  aloft.  Then  all  the  little  frightened  birds  began 
to  chirp  and  flutter;  some  flying  to  their  nests,  others  with 
little  screams  of  fright,  scurrying  before  the  wind.  Suddenly 
she  drew  a  glittering  sword  from  her  girdle,  that  had  hitherto 
been  concealed  by  the  folds  of  her  crimson  skirt,  and  flashed 
it  with  such  rapidity  in  all  directions,  that  it  nearly  blinded 
us ;  then  amid  her  gustful  swayings,  the  low  thunder  mutter 
ed  ;  then  more  screaming  of  frightened  birds;  then  with  a 
swish,  swash,  swish,  the  rain  came  down  in  floods.  Again 
and  again  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents.  Again  and  again 
the  lightning  flashed,  the  rain  beat  and  poured,  the  trees 
waved  and  swayed  madly  in  the  gale,  the  thunder  muttered, 
bellowed,  roared  and  crashed ;  suddenly  she  appeared  as  if 
broken  at  the  waist ;  her  head  fell  to  the  floor,  her  long  black 
hair  lying  in  a  wide  circle  all  about  it  and  she  made  a  noise 
like  the  splitting  and  breaking  of  a  tree  in  the  wind ;  then 
righting  herself  she  represented  the  wind  as  blowing  with 
great  fury;  then  again  the  lightning  flashed  with  blinding 
force;  rip!  split!  split!  rip!  A  tree  had  been  struck  and 
torn  to  pieces. 

I  gazed  at  the  beautiful  creature  in  amazement.     Helene's 
eyes  wore  a  look  of  enthusiasm. 

"How  you  like  my  music?  questioned  Walalu. 


192  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

Extremely  well ;  I  answered.  It  is  the  very  essence  and 
poetry  of  music.  Who  taught  you  to  perform  like  that? 

"Great  Spirit  above,"  she  answered,  raising  her  eyes  up 
ward. 

"Did  you  ever  see  this  great  Spirit  you  speak  of? 

"Me  never  see  him,  me  feel  him,"  she  answered. 

Where  do  you  feel  him  ? 

"Little  heap  of  him  live  here,"  she  said,  placing  her  hand 
upon  her  lovely  palpitating  breast. 

Walalu,  I  asked,  how  long  have  you  lived  in  this  world  ? 

'•Long,  big  time ;  since  me  come  to  happy  hunting 
grounds,"  she  answered. 

But  there  are  no  storms,  or  thunder  and  lightning  here,  I 
said ;  it  seems  quite  strange  you  should  remember  and  sing 
and  act  so  well. 

"Oug;  oug;  that  nothing,  me  go  down,  down,  walk  with 
my  people  much  big  time,"  meaning  that  she  visited  earth 
and  her  tribe  a  great  deal. 

Walalu,  I  said,  your  people  are  very  near  right  when  they 
teach  of  the  great  spirit  and  happy  hunting  grounds ;  much 
nearer  right  than  the  Christian,  when  he  teaches  of  a  revenge- 
God,  Hell,  Heaven,  and  washing  in  the  blood  of  Christ  and 
thereby  becoming  white  as  snow. 

4 'Oug;  me  get  all  red  and  sticky,  me  wash  in  blood"  said 
she.  "Me  wash  in  clear  running  water,  make  me  clean." 

And  even  at  that,  it  does  not  make  you  very  white,  I  said, 
laughing. 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  193 

"Me  no  pale  face,  me  Indian,"  she  said  with  an  arch 
smile,  hiding  her  face  in  the  soft  neck  of  the  fawn. 

Well,  Walalu,  I  said,  rising.  Sit  down  here  and  let  me 
see  if  you  can  play  on  this  piano.  She  shook  her  head,  look 
ing  contemptuously  at  the  instrument. 

"Oh ;  said  she,  "what  for  you  play  on  that  ?" 

Why,  to  make  grand  music,  I  answered. 

"Eh,"  said  she,  maybe  you  like  um;  me  don't.  Birds, 
trees,  water,  big  wind,  soft  wind,  thunder,  lightning,  big 
waters,  all  good  music ;  much  better  piano  to  me,"  and  she 
gave  the  piano  a  little  contemptuous  push. 

"Oh,"  that  much  too  little." 

She  arose  to  her  feet  and  placing  her  hands  to  her  lips, 
gave  a  long,  shrill,  peculiar  cry ;  and  in  a  second  or  two,  it 
was  answered  by  a  similar  cry  in  the  distance.  Her  eyes 
looked  expectant  and  danced  with  joy.  Soon,  there  entered 
at  the  door  a  tall  brave,  the  dog  following  and  licking  at  his 
hand.  He  bowed  his  tall  form  before  us  and  then  taking 
Walalu  in  his  arms,  he  kissed  her  bright  face,  over  and  over 
again. 

"Me  hunt ;  hunt  for  you,"  he  said,  "me  no  find  you  any 
where." 

She  nestled  close  into  his  -breast  as  she  answered.  "Me 
run  away  like  the  wind,  make  you  hunt;  no  find  me;  you 
hear  me  when  I  blow?" 

"  Yes,  little  storm  cloud,  you  make  me  heap  trouble;  you 
come,  then  you  go ;  you  give  me  sunshine,  then  big  cloud." 


i94  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

She  patted  his  cheek  fondly  with  her  dark  hand  and  then 
pointed  at  the  piano. 

"Pale  face  make  big  music  in  him,"  she  said* 

He  looked  at  me,  then  at  the  piano ;  and  shaking  his 
head  said: 

"You  show  them  how  make  big  thunder  music?" 

"She  bowed  assent ;  he  came  up  to  the  piano,  struck  a 
few  notes  upon  it,  then  turned  on  his  heel  and  went  back  to 
where  Walalu  was  standing. 

1  White-feather,"  said  Helena,  "will  you  play  some  of 
your  music  for  us  ? 

He  bowed  low.  "Not  now,  some  other  time  me  play  you 
good  music,"  and  taking  Walalu's  hand  they  departed  as 
silently  as  they  had  come. 


XXXIII. 

THE  NAZARENE. 

fT  was  nothing  uncommon  for  us  to  have  visitors,  and  I 
hope  yet  to  speak  of  many.      But  now  we  thought  we 
would  take  a  little  sail  out  on  the  beautiful  lake,  and  so 
passing  down  to  the  water's  edge  we  entered  our  own  little 
boat.     A  lovely  little  white  poodle  dog  lay  curled  up  in  the 
boat,  waiting  and  watching  for  us. 

"Flossy,"  said  Helene,  "poor  little  Flossy!  a  cruel  heart 
sent  you  away  from  your  mistress  before  you  ought  to  have 
come.  But  we  shall  take  care  of  you,  little  dog,  and  your 
mistress  will  surely  see  you  again." 

We  shall  not  stop  to  describe  our  boat ;  suffice  it  to  say 
that  it  was  a  beautiful  little  restful  affair,  just  large  enough 
for  the  ease  and  comfort  of  its  occupants,  and  it  danced  on 
the  waves  with  a  gently  pleasing  motion.  We  have  no  blazing 
sun  here  to  burn  and  scorch  us ;  and  our  air  is  spiritual  and 
etherial  in  its  nature,  and  has  a  soothing  revivifying  effect 
upon  us.  We  never  need  anything  such  as  an  outside  gar 
ment,  and  so  we  move  airily  around,  clothed  in  magnetic 
gauzy  substance  from  our  interior  throwing  outward  to  the 
exterior,  We  had  entered  our  little  boat  now,  more  for 


196  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

pleasure  and  rest  than  anything  else,  and  we  were  continually 
giving  and  receiving  each  other's  thoughts.  My  mind  was 
constantly  reverting  to  my  dear  Karl.  Perhaps  some  will  ask, 
why  to  him  more  than  your  other  children?  I  will  tell  you 
why.  Because  on  coming  to  the  spiritual  world,  where  I 
could  understand  the  interior  souls  of  my  children,  I  found 
his  soul  was  the  most  gifted  and  spiritual  of  all  my  children, 
and  consequently  the  most  desolate  and  lonely ;  and  I  found 
that  he  was  to  the  world  at  large,  extremely  reticent,  and 
that  his  inner  being  was  so  completely  isolated,  it  was  feeding 
and  preying  upon  itself  in  the  most  frightful  manner.  On 
our  return  we  found  Aristotle  seated  on  the  veranda  waiting 
for  us.  We  greeted  him  joyfully;  and  shortly  afterward 
there  entered,  Voncelora  and  Katrina. 

"I  am  sent,  dear  friends,  to  invite  you  to  a  feast  that  is 
to  be  given  in  one  of  the  mansions  of  our  father's  house  ;  and 
we  shall  meet  there,  one,  whom  I  am  sure  you  will  be  glad  to 
see.  Will  you  come  ?" 

We  accepted  the  invitation  gladly,  for  we  knew  that 
wherever  Aristotle  invited  us  to  go,  a  feast  of  the  soul  was  in 
store  for  us ;  and  so  together,  we  three  Angels  passed  upward 
into  the  regions  of  bliss.  It  is  useless  for  me  to  describe 
this  third  Paradise;  there  are  no  words  that  can  give  an  idea 
of  its  glory.  There  were  no  buildings  in  this  particular  part 
of  paradise,  but  a  long  table  stood  in  a  field  Elysian,  and  the 
most  magnificent  and  beautiful  scenery  met  the  eye  at  all 
points.  We  saw  as  we  approached,  many  people  seated 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO UNTR T.  197 

around  this  table.  Aristotle  gave  us  our  appointed  seats 
taking  a  seat  himself  at  my  right  hand.  I  allowed  my  eyes 
to  roam  over  the  assembled  company.  I  knew  by  intuition 
who  many  of  these  angels  were ;  and  those  I  did  not  at  once 
recognize  were  made  known  to  me  by  Aristotle.  But  my 
eyes  rested  and  riveted  themselves  on  one  that  was  seated 
directly  opposite  me.  And  it  was  Jesus ;  formerly  of  Naza 
reth.  He  was  gazing  straight  into  my  eyes,  and  his  own 
were  piercing,  deep  and  sweetly  blue. 

My  soul  thrilled  delightedly.  This,  then,  was  Jesus;  that 
on  earth  was  called  the  Christ.  I  should  now  understand  it 
all.  Power  and  majesty  lay  all  around  him,  but  it  was  simply 
the  power  of  great  love  and  wisdom  evenly  balanced.  It  is 
needless  for  me  to  say  that  there  were  two  forms,  male  and 
female,  which  constituted  the  one  Angel ;  and  this  was  so  of 
all  that  were  present,  for  there  were  no  spirits  at  this  table. 
Jesus  was  a  beautiful,  bright  and  shining  angel  as  were  all 
the  others.  I  was  eager  to  talk  with  this  son  of  Nazareth, 
and  was  not  at  all  afraid  of  him.  He  gazed  at  me  with  his 
loving  eyes,  saying : 

"Welcome,  Herfronzo,  to  the  land  of  redeemed  souls." 
Redeemed,  Redeemed?  Now  I  should  have  a  contest 
with  Jesus.  I  glanced  around  the  table,  and  every  eye  was 
turned  upon  this  man  of  Nazareth  and  myself,  but  the  eyes 
were  all  deeply  loving,  deeply  wise.  I  found  my  tongue  at 
last,  and  my  old  earth  love  of  argument  returned  upon  me 
hot  and  heavy. 


198  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

Redeemed?  I  said  at  last.  Am  I  to  understand  by 
this,  that  you  consider  yourself  the  redeemer  of  mankind  ? 

"Yes,"  he  answered  mildly,  ;<I  am  a  redeemer  of  mankind. 
I  hope,  dear  Herfronzo,  that  you  will  also  become  a  redeemer 
of  mankind. 

Am  I  then  to  understand  there  is  a  hell  from  which  the 
spirits  and  angels  of  this  life  have  been  redeemed  ? 

"Yes,"  he  answered  more  mildly  than  before,  "there  is  a 
hell  from  which  all  human  souls  are  constantly  being  redeem 
ed  ;  but  the  proper  name  of  this  hell  is  error  and  ignorance, 
and  I  am  constantly  doing  my  best  to  redeem  man  from  this 
hell.  All  other  angels  are  redeemers  as  well  as  myself." 

Were  you  begotten  by  the  Holy  Ghost  ? — well,  on  earth 
it  is  understood  to  mean  God  ? 

"That  is  right,"  he  said.  "God  and  the  Holy  Ghost  are 
one.  I  was  begotten  by  God,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Then  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  Mary  was  your  mother,  and 
God  was  your  father? 

"Yes"  he  replied,  "Mary  was  my  mother  and  God  was  my 
father." 

Your  assertion  sounds  very  strange,  coming  as  it  does 
from  the  lips  of  a  pure  white  Angel  as  you  certainly  appear 
to  be. 

"I  and  my  father  are  one  ;"  he  repeated,  "and  if  I  and  my 
father  are  one,  then  I  am  the  father  of  myself." 

His  wise  and  loving  eyes  held  mine  in  a  magnetic  grip. 
The  father  of  yourself,  I  said,  a  derisive  smile  curling  my 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  199 

lips,  for  I  had  always  cherished  a  slight  prejudice  against 
Jesus,  and  I  believe  I  could  have  faced  Hades  and  its  repu 
ted  master,  rather  than  allow  such  nonsense  to  go  un 
challenged.  I  glanced  at  Voncelora,  for  he  was  my  father, 
and  I,  at  least,  had  not  been  begotten  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  I 
laid  my  hand  on  Voncelora's  arm,  and  as  I  did  so,  Jesus  did 
the  same  to  one  that  sat  by  his  side. 

This  is  my  father,  I  said.  Do  you  claim  that  you  had  no 
earthly  father  ? 

"I  and  my  father  are  one,"  he  again  repeated,  "I  am  the 
father  of  myself,  and  so  are  all  other  beings." 

If  I  had  not  been  an  Angel  and  in  heaven,  I  should  have 
been  angry ;  but  a  solemn  gentle  stillness  reigned  over  all 
the  assembled  company.  No  derisive  smile  was  on  any  face 
but  my  own.  Helene  sat  with  bowed  head.  Jesus'  hand 
rested  on  the  arm  of  the  angel  that  sat  by  him. 

"Now,  Herfronzo,  I  know  my  talk  sounds  as  paradoxical 
to  you,  as  Voncelora's  did  when  he  told  you  that  you  were 
not  a  married  man  ;  and  that  you  never  were  married.  But 
I  believe  he  proved  to  you  the  truth  of  his  statement ;  and  I 
also  hope  to  prove  to  you  that  I  existed  before  my  father,  or, 
at  least,  was  co-existent  with  him.  And  as  you  say  that  Von 
celora  was  your  father ;  so  in  the  same  manner,  this  Angel 
that  sits  by  me  was  my  father." 

But  I  understood  you  to  say  that  you  were  begotten  by 
the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  that  Angel  is  not  God,  or  the  Holy 
Ghost,  and  must  have  once  been  a  man,  like  as  we  all  were. 


200  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY, 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  "and  we  were  all  begotten  by  God,  or 
the  Holy  Ghost." 

I  began  to  feel  a  little  ashamed  of  my  anger. 

Oh !  I  said,  I  begin  to  understand  you.  Then  you  do  not 
claim  that  you  were  begotten  any  differently  from  the  rest  of 
us? 

"No,"  he  answered,  "and  I  never  did  intend  to  claim, 
when  I  was  on  the  earth,  that  my  earthly  parentage  was  any 
different  from  that  of  other  men.  My  words  were  misunder 
stood  by  men,  the  same  as  you  have  misunderstood  them 
now ;  but  I  meant  to  be  understood  spiritually  instead  of 
literally.  I  meant  that  my  earthly  father  was  not  the  first  or 
primal  cause  of  my  being ;  that  I  was  co-existent  with  God, 
or  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  I  was  right.  I  said,  I  and  my  father 
are  one  ;  and  I  meant  by  this  that  I  was  God,  and  God  was 
I,  as  all  other  men  and  angels  are  God,  as  all  things  that 
exist  are  God,  as  the  great  whole  constitutes  God,  and  God 
or  the  Holy  Ghost  dwells  within  all  things." 

"Are  you  willing  now  to  admit  that  I  and  my  father  are 
one,  and  that  I  was  begotten  by  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  Are  you 
also  willing  to  admit  that  I  am  a  redeemer." 

But  the  churches  on  the  earth  teach  that  you  are  the  only 
redeemer,  or  Saviour. 

"Herfronzo,  will  you  be  one  with  me  to  help  redeem  the 
Churches  from  error  and  ignorance  on  this  point?  The 
Angels  within  this  sphere  are  all  redeemers,  and  are  at  work 
as  I  am  at  work." 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  201 

Well,  I  said,  before  I '  can  work  with  you,  I  must  be 
thoroughly  enlightened  on  many  points. 

"True;"  he  replied,  and  that  is  why  you  have  been  invited 
to  this  supper ;  to  you  it  is  the  Lord's  Supper." 

Again  I  felt  nettled.  I  am  not  willing  to  own  you  for  my 
Lord  and  Master ;  in  fact,  I  think  I  like  Voncelora  much 
better. 

"He  that  loves  father  or  mother,  brother  or  sister  more 
than  me  is  not  worthy  of  me." 

Then  I  am  not  worthy  of  you,  I  answered,  for  I  love 
Helene  and  Katrina,  Aristotle  and  Voncelora,  better  than  I 
do  you. 

Again  his  eyes  held  my  own  with  their  sweet  magnetism. 

"Is  it  their  personality  which  you  love,  or  the  love  and 
wisdom  which  shines  through  that  personality  ?  And  when 
I  said,  he  that  loved  father  or  mother,  brother  or  sister  more 
than  me,  was  not  worthy  of  me,  I  merely  meant  the  love  and 
wisdom  that  was  higher  than  myself,  or  any  other  personality ; 
the  love  and  wisdom  which  shone  through  the  personality. 


XXXIV. 

SPIRITUAL  GERMS. 

"OU  have  not  yet  made  it  clear  to  me  how  you  can  be 
co-existent  with  God,  or  the  Holy  Ghost. 

"In  order  to  make  this  perfectly  plain  to  you,  I 
will  introduce  Galen  and  Harvey."  Two  angels  arose  as 
Jesus  spoke,  and  gently  inclined  their  heads  toward  me  and 

again  seated  themselves. 

"Herfronzo,"  said  Galen,  "you  are  willing  to  admit  that 
spirit  and  matter  are  forever  and  eternal,  they  had  no  begin 
ning,  they  can  never  have  an  end;  that  spirit  and  matter  is 
God,  the  great  father  and  mother  of  all  things,  or  in  other 
words,  of  all  form  that  exists.  That  the  blending,  or  union 
of  spirit  and  matter  produces,  or  brings  forth  form,  and  all 
forms  are  the  children  of  spirit  and  matter  ?" 

Yes,  I  answered,  this  is  to  me  most  reasonable. 

"Then  the  germs  of  all  things  reside  within  the  never 
ending  ocean  of  spirit  and  matter  ?" 

Yes,  this  view  of  it  seems  grand  truth  to  me. 

"And  it  is  truth,"  he  answered,  "as  all  wise  angels  know. 
Then,  if  the  never  ending  ocean  of  spirit  and  matter  is  God, 
father  and  mother  in  one,  and  their  blending  brings  forth 
form,  and  the  germs  of  all  things  reside  within  this  eternal 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  203 

fount,  and  they  never  had  a  beginning  and  consequently  can 
never  have  an  end, — was  not  Jesus  right  when  he  said,  I 
and  my  father  are  one,  and  by  the  Holy  Ghost  was  I  begotten  ? 
And  now  I  will  explain  this  matter  to  you  a  little.  Jesus  was 
a  despised  Nazarene.  'Could  any  good  thing  come  out  of 
Nazareth  ?'  This  was  the  way  the  people  talked  and  it  was  to 
teach  them  that  it  did  not  matter  who  his  parents  were,  or 
from  what  town  he  came ;  all  this  was  unimportant,  he  was 
a  son  of  God,  or  Wisdom  ;  and  existed  long  before  his  earthly 
father  had  taken  on  a  form,  and  was  co-existent  with  God. 
But  the  most  of  the  people,  in  those  days,  had  smaller  brains 
than  Jesus ;  he  was  a  man  ahead  of  the  times  in  which  he 
lived,  and  therefore  became  a  martyr,  as  thousands  of  others 
have,  to  truth." 

.  I  now  looked  at  Jesus  more  complacently.  I  was  being 
reconciled  to  Jesus ;  but  in  a  different  way  from  which  it  is 
commonly  understood  by  man. 

You  say,  we  were  all  co-existent  with  God,  or  rather, 
that  we  all  existed  within  the  ocean  of  spirit  and  matter  as 
germs.  This  interests  me  greatly.  Will  you  not  go  on  and 
tell  me  more  ? 

"With  pleasure,"  answered  Galen.  "When  I  lived  on 
the  earthly  plane,  I  was  a  physician,  as  perhaps,  you  well 
know;  and  I  studied  deeply  into  all  things  pertaining  to  the 
life  of  man.  'Man,  know  thyself.'  This  thought  was  con 
tinually  within  my  mind,  and  I  was  greatly  desirous  of  under 
standing  the  law  of  propagation,  and  for  many  reasons  which 


204 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 


I  will  not  now  mention,  I  became  convinced  that  if  a  man 
had  a  spirit  or  soul,  it  was  not  propagated  down  through 
generations  of  men,  and  boys  had  not  the  power  of  propaga 
tion.     I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  man's  soul  was  put  into 
his  body  in  some  mysterious  way  after  birth.     This  was  as  far 
as  I  could  go  when  in  the  earth-life.     As  soon  as  I  became  an 
angel  my  mind  again  reverted  to  this  subject,   and  I  soon 
learned  the  truth.     I  found  that  man  existed  as  a  germ  with 
in  the  everlasting  ocean  of  spirit  and  matter.     That  these 
germs  were  breathed  into  the  lungs  of  men.     That  man  being 
the  positive  force,  attracted  and  held  them.     From  the  lungs 
they  passed  into  the  blood,  and  there  became  clothed  with 
material  substance;  and  after  they  had  been  nourished  and 
fed    by  the  mother,  they  were  born  into  the  earth-life  as 
human  beings.     Therefore,  man  is  co-existent  with  God-is  a 
part  of  God— and  as  Jesus  said,  is  the  father  of  himself." 
-Harvey,"  said  Galen,  "will  you  tell  Herfronzo  what  you 

discovered?" 

"With  pleasure,"  answered  Harvey. 

"I  suppose,  my  dear  Herfronzo,  you  are  aware  that  I  was 
the  first  to  discover  the  circulation  of  the  blood  ;  and  while  I 
was  making  minute  examinations,  I  discovered  within  the 
product  of  man's  blood,  germinal  points.  Since  my  time  on 
earth,  other  physicians  have,  under  the  microscope,  discover 
ed  and  analyzed  these  germinal  points,  and  many  are  convin 
ced  that  these  germs  are  breathed  in  from  out  the  atmos 
phere  by  man,  and  this  is  true.  In  the  form  of  spiritual 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  205 

germs  we  had  no  beginning;  in  the  form  of  progressed  angels 
we  can  have  no  end;  we  are  eternal,  and  co-existent  with 
God,  which  meaneth  all  things  that  are,  or  ever  shall  be." 

I  do  not  yet  comprehend  the  law  of  soul  mates,  or  counter 
parts  ;  although  already  united  to  my  counterpart  and  conse 
quently  a  completed  angel ;  yet  I  am  still  ignorant  of  the  law 
which  governs  it." 

"Socrates,"  said  Galen,  "will  you  explain  to  our  brother 
Herfronzo,  the  great  law  of  counterparts?" 

"Herfronzo,"  said  Socrates,  "let  us  examine  one  of  these 
spiritual  germs  before  it  has  ever  been  breathed  in  by  man, 
and  we  shall  soon  discover  the  law  which  regulates  soul 
counterparts.  Saying  this,  he  waved  his  hands  toward  me 
in  a  gentle  manner.  Immediately  my  sight  expanded  and  I 
saw  innumerable  small  pellucid  transparent  globes  floating 
here,  there  and  everywhere.  I  took  one  of  them  in  my  hand 
and  examined  it  closely.  I  found  it  was  an  indestructable 
spiritual  germ,  in  the  form  of  an  egg,  and  within  it  were  two 
perfect  forms,  the  man  and  woman  to  be ;  the  male  and  fe 
male  in  one  ;  the  future  angel.  The  forms  were  perfect,  but 
the  eyes  were  closed ;  they  were  not  yet  self-conscious,  or 
intelligent.  Consciousness  and  intelligence  were  yet  in  store 
for  them. 

How  is  it,  I  asked,  that  children  are  born  singly,  not  in 
pairs  as  this  germ  would  indicate  ? 

"These  globes  which  you  now  see,  are  perfect  germs,  they 
have  never  yet  been  breathed  into  the  lungs  of  living  man  ; 


206  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

that  is    reserved    for  them,"  answered    Socrates.      "When 
these  perfect  germs  are  breathed  in  by  man,  the  positive  or 
male  half  germinates,  or  develops   first ;    the  female  half  or 
negative  is  thrown  back  into  the  atmosphere  in  the  form  of 
an  oblong  globe,  for  they  must  be  separated  in  order  to  be 
born  male  and  female ;  for  if  this  were  not  so  the  law  of  pro 
pagation  would  be  at  an  end.        This  latter  globe,  being 
oblong,  never  rises   above  the  dense    atmospheie,   and  the 
lungs  of  man  have  a  far  greater  attraction  for  it  than  they 
did  when  it  was  a  perfect  globe  ;  therefore,  it  almost  immedi 
ately  becomes  incarnated.     And  now  I  have  explained  to  you 
the  true  law  of  the  sexes,  for  they  are  born  into  life  in  equal 
numbers.     Now  after  these  germs  have  expanded  and  become 
intelligent   men    and   women,    or  otherwise,  and  then  leave 
their  bodies  or  die,  they  are  again  united  and  form  one  com 
pleted  Angel.     Yourself,  dear  Herfronzo  and  Helene,  once 
existed  within  one  of  these  perfect  globes  or  germs,  as  one ; 
from  thence  you  became  man  and  woman,  performed  your 
work   on   earth,    becoming   conscious  and  intelligent;  from 
thence    you   have     become    again   united  and  are    now  a 
perfected  Angel,  far  on  your  road  toward  heavenly  wisdom. 
Which  would  you  prefer  to  be,  Herfronzo,  an  Angel,  or  the 
undeveloped  germ  of  an  Angel?— for  many  people  say,  they 
wish  they  had  never  been  born." 

There  is  but  one  answer  to  this  question,  I  said,  It  is  as 
much  better  to  be  an  Angel  than  a  germ,  as  it  would  be  if 
there  were  a  hell,  to  be  in  heaven  instead  of  hell,  for  now  I 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO  UNTR  Y.  207 

can  examine  all  things  with  intelligent  eyes  and  be  wise  as 
a  God.  I  can  now  enjoy  the  happiness  of  eternal  love ;  truly, 
love  and  wisdom  are  the  everlasting  hand-maidens  of  God. 

XANTHIPPE, 

Socrates,  allow  me  to  ask  you  if  that  is  Xanthippe  by 
your  side? 

"No,"  answered  Socrates,  "Xanthippe  and  myself  were 
not  mated.  It  was  not  her  fault,  poor  lady,  that  I  was  a  con 
stant  source  of  annoyance  to  her ;  we  did  not  then  understand 
the  law  which  governs  the  true  union  and  love  did  not  abide 
with  us.  Heaven  be  praised ;  this  is  not  Xanthippe,  but  my 
own  true  counterpart ;  in  the  germinal  globe  we  were  together, 
we  are  again  united  as  an  Angel.  Happy  Socrates !  This  is 
also  true  of  every  Angel  present,  and  of  all  angels  that  exist 
throughout  eternity,  and  Jesus  is  no  better  than  any  other 
angel  that  is  as  wise  and  good  as  he.  Natural  laws  are  just 
the  same  to  him  that  they  are  to  all  other  men  and  angels. 
He  is  just  as  much  of  God  as  we  are  and  no  more." 

Jesus  looked  at  me  wisely  and  lovingly,  and  rising,  ex 
tended  his  hands  and  blessed  the  assembled  company,  and 
each  angel  went  his  way.  Helene  and  myself  were  a  little 
weary,  and  so  we  returned  to  her  Villa,  and  there  we  rested 
in  love,  until  we  were  refreshed  and  ready  to  again  visit  earth 
and  work  for  those  that  needed  us ;  and  there  were  none  that 
needed  us  more  than  my  own  son  Karl.  This  man  was  so 
hungry  for  heavenly  wisdom  he  had  come  near  unto  the 


208  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

gates  of  death,  from  sheer  soul  starvation ,  but  in  the  eyes  of 
heavenly  wisdom  he  ought  not  yet  to  come;  his  work  and 
earthly  mission  were  not  yet  completed ;  for  unless  some  of 
these  sensitive  souls  remained  on  earth  and  were  taught  true 
wisdom  by  the  angels,  how  would  it  be  possible  for  earth  to 
progress?  The  great  eternal,  natural  law,  is,  onward  and 
upward,  around  and  around.  Now  this  starving  child  of 
mine  must  be  fed  with  wisdom  from  on  high.  Voncelora  and 
myself  must  be  the  direct  agents  to  feed  him,  and  as  fast  as 
I  myself  was  fed,  I  must  return  and  feed  this  child. 

The  question  is  asked  by  many  on  earth,  of  what  use  or 
benefit  is  it  to  man,  that  the  spirits  of  the  departed  return 
and  communicate  with  him  ?  Now  I  in  return  will  ask,  of 
what  use  or  benefit  is  it  to  a  child  to  be  taught  wisdom  by 
its  teachers  or  parents  ?  Of  what  use  is  it  to  teach  the  igno 
rant  anything?  Why  not  let  a  babe  remain  a  babe  in  wisdom 
forever?  Why  not  let  a  germ  remain  a  germ  forever?  In 
fact,  why  need  there  be  germs,  or  anything  at  all  ?  But  the 
great  eternal  truth  is,  that  all  these  things  do  exist  and  there 
never  was  a  time  when  they  did  not;  therefore,  the  great 
eternal  law  is,  that  the  higher  shall  teach  the  lower,  and  that 
is  why  angels  and  spirits  communicate  with  man,  and  that 
was  the  reason  why  I  must  teach  my  starving  child  and  all 
others  that  could  and  would  accept  my  teachings;  and  I 
must  be  taught  by  those  higher  than  myself,  and  so  on  forever. 
A  globe  is  an  emblem  of  eternal  wisdom,  bearing  within 
itself  the  germ  of  all  possible  things.  If  a  man's  body  is  not 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  209 

fed  it  starves  and  perishes.  If  a  man's  soul  is  not  fed  with 
wisdom  it  shrivels  away  and  falls  into  darkness  and  error, 
and  therefore  my  starving  son  must  be  fed,  and  I  now  had 
plenty  of  wisdom  to  feed  him  for  a  long  time,  and  there  ex 
isted  a  never  ending  supply  for  myself  within  the  higher  heavens. 

When  Helene  and  I  returned  to  earth  we  were  often  in 
the  company  of  many  other  angels  that  were  returning,  like 
ourselves,  to  visit  and  feed  with  wisdom  from  on  high  their 
own  particular  loved  ones ;  and  I  soon  discovered  that  no 
one  in  the  earth-life  was  without  some  loving  angel  that  often 
walked  with  them,  and  fed  them  as  much  as  was  needful  for 
them,  or  as  much  as  they  would  accept.  The  more  we  teach 
earth  of  heaven,  the  nearer  earth  will  approach  heaven— the 
happier  and  better  it  will  be.  I  had  now  become  a  working 
angel ;  our  pleasure  and  pastime,  the  quest  after  wisdom ; 
our  labor,  that  of  teaching  others  below  us  and  visiting  earth, 
yet  our  labor  was  the  labor  of  love.  We  were  constantly 
visiting  Halls  of  Wisdom ;  we  were  constantly  meeting  higher 
angels,  but  Voncelora  and  Aristotle  were  the  friends  which  I 
loved  best.  Aristotle  had  become  an  Archangel ;  and  that 
means  he  had  visited  many  other  worlds  besides  the  earth  on 
which  he,  as  well  as  myself,  were  born. 

Voncelora  had  also  visited  one  or  two.  They  now  thought 
that  I,  in  their  company,  might  be  able  to  visit  one;  and 
they  left  me  to  decide  which  one  it  should  be.  Of  course 
the  first  one  that  I  visited  must  be  one  of  the  planets  belong 
ing  to  the  same  system  as  the  earth.  I  thought  I  should  like 


2IO 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 


to  visit  one  that  was  inhabited;  also,  one  that  was  in  advance 
of  earth,  and  Jupiter  was  the  one  which  I  selected. 

1  'Now,"  said  Aristotle,  "I  have  visited  Jupiter  many 
times ;  Voncelora  has  been  there  once  or  twice,  and  it  will 
take  us  many  days,  as  time  is  counted  on  earth,  to  go  to 
Jupiter  and  return ;  for  it  is,  even  to  an  angel,  a  long  dis 
tance,  and  the  planet  is  very  large,  many  times  larger  than 
earth,  and  we  shall  be  obliged  to  rest  on  our  way  thither." 


XXXV. 

JUPITER. 

so  when  we  were  fully  refreshed,  we  three  started ; 
but  we  had  not  gone  very  far  on  our  way,  when  we 
were  joined  by  many  other  angels,  for  many  new  angels 
were  eager  to  go,  as  was  myself;  and  many  archangels  were 
delighted  to  take  them,  for  they  joyed  in  teaching  wisdom. 
By  the  time  we  arrived  on  the  planet  Jupiter,  we  were  a  large 
company,  and  I  have  not  yet  discovered  that  angels  visit 
a  planet  alone.  We  found  Jupiter  far  in  advance  of  earth  in 
all  things,  more  perfect  in  every  way.  We  settled  directly 
down  upon  the  planet,  and  were  met  by  a  great  concourse  of 
the  people  there ;  for  they  are  so  far  on  in  the  scale  of  pro 
gress,  they  can  perceive  spirits  and  angels  with  their  natural 
sight.  Their  material  bodies  are  very  light,  etherial,  and 
intensely  refined;  they  are  very  nearly  in  a  spiritual  condi 
tion.  When  I  describe  the  planet  Jupiter,  and  its  inhabi 
tants,  it  will  show  what  Earth  and  its  inhabitants  are  to  be 
some  day. 

The  surface  of  the  planet  was  gently  undulating;  there 
were  no  Volcanos ;  there  was  no  fire  upon  the  planet  of  any 
kind;  fires  had  long  since  ceased  to  exist,  and  consequently 
the  need  of  fire.  Water  had  become  so  light  and  airy,  it  had 
not  the  power  of  drowning  anything,  although  it  lay  in  beau- 


2i2  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

tiful  lakes  and  small  seas  all  over  the  planet,  but  it  was  not 
very  deep  anywhere,  for  the  reason  that  the  planet  has  lost 
its  inequalities ;  all  its  surface  has  become  smoothly  undula 
ting.  It  is  never  cold,  it  is  never  hot ;  it  is  so  far  removed 
from  the  sun,  and  its  atmosphere  is  so  rare,  and  so  many 
miles  in  thickness,  that  the  rays  of  the  sun  are  greatly 
scattered  and  modified.  It  is  never  cold  there,  because  the 
air  is  so  many  miles  in  thickness,  and  because  it  does  not 
rush  rapidly  and  create  great  vacuums.  Consequently  there 
are  no  storms  of  any  kind,  except  occasionally,  soft  gentle 
rain.  There  is  no  snow,  there  is  no  ice,  for  it  is  never  cold 
enough  to  freeze.  There  are  gentle  breezes,  but  no  high 
winds ;  there  is  occasionally  a  little  thunder  and  lightning- 
From  Jupiter's  surface  his  moons  look  very  nearly  as 
bright  as  the  sun,  and  give  him  almost  as  much  light;  he 
has  no  extremely  dark  nights,  his  darkest  hours  are  not  much 
darker  than  earth's  twilight ;  therefore,  he  needs  no  artificial 
lights,  and  if  he  did  he  could  not  have  any,  for  fire  has  ceased 
to  be  with  him.  Go  where  one  will,  upon  his  surface,  there 
are  always  three  large  planets  visible  in  his  heavens,  giving 
him  light,  besides  the  stars,  and  the  stars  appear  much  larger 
to  him  than  they  do  to  the  earth,  because  of  his  rare  and  ex 
tensive  atmosphere,  and  for  the  same  reason  the  sun  and 
Jupiter's  four  moons  appear  much  larger  and  their  light 
is  more  diffusive.  When  the  sun  is  visible  there  are  also  two 
moons  shining,  and  his  moons  are  much  larger  than  earth's 
moon.  When  the  sun  sets  there  are  three  moons  visible ;  one 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  213 

near  the  zenith,  one  in  the  north,  and  one  in  the  south,  and 
the  sun  has  left  a  pathway  of  golden  light  behind  it  that  does 
not  disappear  until  it  is  about  time  for  it  to  rise  again  in  the 
east,  and  long  before  it  rises  it  is  heralded  in  the  same  way 
by  a  broad  pathway  of  beautifully  colored  light.  The  people 
eat  no  flesh;  that  has  long  since  been  a  thing  of  the  past, 
and  their  record  calls  it  the  barbarous  age,  or  the  age  of 
death.  No  animal  is  ever  killed  there,  and  if  such  a  thing 
were  to  occur  it  would  be  considered  murder  in  the  first 
degree.  Many  animals  that  are  known  to  earth  have  long 
since  disappeared  from  off  the  face  of  Jupiter. 

Cereals,  fruit  and  vegetables  are  all  the  food  they  have, 
and  all  they  want  or  require  ;  but  their  cereals  and  vegeta 
bles  are  not  like  those  of  earth,  for  cooking  is  not  known  on 
the  planet  Jupiter.  Their  vegetables  are  more  in  the  form 
of  large  sweet  ground  nuts  that  do  not  require  cooking. 
Their  fruits  are  more  like  large  .apples,  bananas,  oranges, 
cocoanuts  and  sweet  bread  fruit.  Their  cereals  are  all  very 
different  from  those  of  earth.  They  have  corn,  but  it  is  very 
large,  sweet,  soft  and  milky,  and  they  merely  eat  it  one  ker 
nel  at  a  time.  They  have  oats,  but  they  grow  very  large  and 
sweet ;  none  but  the  animals  eat  them.  There  is  wheat  and 
various  other  small  grains,  but  only  the  birds  and  animals 
eat  these ;  they  are  not  needed  by  man  on  the  planet  Jupi 
ter.  The  most  brilliant  and  beautiful  flowers  grow  in  all 
available  places.  There  are  no  very  steep  or  high  moun 
tains,  there  are  no  pine  trees,  there  are  no  serpents.  None 


214  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

of  the  lower  animals  exist  there  now ;  they  have  long  since 
had  their  day. 

The  age  of  man  on  the  planet  Jupiter  is  a  thousand  of 
earth's  years ;  and  he  does  not  die  as  man  on  earth  does  ;  he 
at  length  becomes  so  etherial  that  he  ascends  into  the 
heavens  in  plain  sight  of  the  inhabitants,  merely  shaking  off 
as  it  were,  a  little  of  the  material  body  that  is  too  heavy  to 
ascend.  The  people  on  the  planet  Jupiter  are  very  large ; 
they  are  born  in  pairs,  male  and  female,  and  there  is  no 
death  either  by  disease  or  accident ;  that  has  long  ceased  to 
be  with  them.  The  male  and  female  are  one  from  their 
birth,  man  and  wife,  and  remain  so  until  their  ascension. 

The  planet  Jupiter  has  long  since  ceased  to  multiply  in 
numbers,  they  merely  hold  their  own,  and  the  man  and  wife 
never  have  but  two  children  which  are  born  at  the  same  time 
and  are  the  future  man  and  wife  to  be.  The  inhabitants  of 
Jupiter  are  very  far  on  their  road  to  perfection ;  they  are  ex 
tremely  wise  and  God-like.  Although  they  are  very  large, 
yet  they  are  extremely  light  and  very  beautiful.  When  the 
children  are  born  they  know  very  nearly  as  much  as  the 
wisest  man  does  on  earth,  and  in  three  days  from  their  birth 
they  walk  and  talk  and  appear  somewhat  as  your  boys  and 
girls  do  at  twelve  years  of  age.  Very  little  clothing  is 
needed  on  the  planet  Jupiter,  and  very  little  is  worn.  One 
soft  flowing  garment  is  all  they  wear ;  it  is  always  made  in 
the  same  style,  but  they  have  many  of  various  colors.  They 
perform  but  very  little  labor,  and  very  little  is  needed.  They 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  21  j 

\iave  no  very  large  crowded  cities  or  towns,  and  the  popula 
tion  is  quite  evenly  dispersed  over  the  face  of  the  globe. 
They  do  not  buy,  or  sell,  or  barter  in  any  way.  Land  is 
neither  bought  nor  sold ;  and  all  their  congregations  meet  in 
the  open  air.  They  have  no  winters,  and  the  land  produces 
all  the  year  round.  Their  houses  are  all  made  out  of  a 
light  material,  something  like  bamboo,  which  grows  extreme 
ly  light  and  large,  Their  houses  are  built  in  two  apart 
ments  ;  that  is  all,  and  all  that  is  needed,  a  parlor  and  sleep 
ing  apartment.  They  do  not  need  barns  or  outhouses,  for 
they  can  gather  their  food  as  they  wish  to  eat  it,  at  all  times, 
and  do  not  need  to  store  it. 

They  eat  but  once  in  their  long  day,  and  then  at  the 
noon-tide.  Their  table  is  spread  beneath  the  branches  of  a 
great  tree  which  bears,  all  the  year  round,  a  delicious 
bread-fruit;  it  is  their  principal  food  and  would  sustain  them 
if  they  ate  nothing  else.  They  plant  one  of  these  trees 
whenever  their  children  are  born,  and  the  life  and  hearing  of 
the  tree  is  about  the  length  or  the  life  of  the  man.  They  do 
not  travel  much  and  they  have  no  cars,  but  there  are  very 
large  animals  there,  something  after  the  style  of  a  camel, 
and  when  they  travel  they  ride  upon  his  back.  This  animal's 
gait  is  very  swift  and  easy ;  great  love  exists  between  these 
animals  and  their  owners.  These  animals  are  capable  of 
talking  in  monosyllables,  as  for  instance,  yes  and  no  ;  and 
many  other  monosyllabic  words.  They  also  have  the  power 
of  smiling ;  they  need  no  shelter  and  usually  remain  near  the 


2i6  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

residences  of  their  masters  ;  they  are  not  bought  or  sold,  and 
very  rarely  produce  more  than  two  or  three  of  their  kind,  but 
they  are  born  singly. 

The  people  do  not  have  ships  or  vessels  of  any  kind,  for 
it  is  not  needful,  but  there  are  very  large  birds,  in  form,  some 
thing  like  a  duck,  that  both  fly  and  swim,  and  the  inhabitants 
ride  on  the  backs  of  these  birds,  and  as  no  animal  has  any 
fear  of  man,  but  only  love,  they  all  delight  to  serve  him,  and 
one  of  the  inhabitants  of  Jupiter  looks  as  natural  on  the  back 
of  one  of  these  birds  as  man  on  earth  does  on  a  horse,  and 
the  bird  flies,  or  swims  at  its  pleasure  and  to  please  the  rider. 
The  riders  use  motions  and  words  in  order  to  guide  the  birds, 
this  is  all  that  is  necessary.  There  is  no  large  ocean  on  the 
planet  Jupiter,  and  there  are  no  tides.  The  waters  are  never 
lashed  into  fury  by  storms  or  hurricanes.  There  are  no 
cyclones  or  water-spouts.  The  planet  has  an  abundance  of 
water,  but  it  is  more  evenly  distributed  than  it  is  on  the 
earth,  owing  to  the  planet's  comparatively  smooth  and  even 
surface ;  it  has  small  seas  and  lakes  with  now  and  then  a 
very  broad  and  gently  flowing  river. 

There  are  no  kings,  queens,  or  presidents  upon  the  planet, 
for  none  are  needed.  The  people  have  become  so  perfect 
that  each  one  is  a  law  unto  himself;  and  there  are  no  laws, 
or  by-laws.  Their  music  is  beyond  anything  that  I  ever 
heard  on  the  earth,  and  they  often  form  into  large  bands,  and 
their  music  is  most  heavenly.  Their  musical  instruments 
I  cannot  describe,  for  they  are  not  like  those  of  earth,  they 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  217 

have  been  improved,  until  they  bear  no  resemblance  to  earth 
ly  ones  They  call  the  angels  that  visit  them  from  the  spheres 
of  earth,  fairies,  or  a  word  that  means  the  same  thing,  little 
men.  Their  language  is  not  like  that  of  earth.  The  lan 
guage  which  they  speak  has  been  simplified  until  there  are 
but  comparatively  few  words  in  it,  and  the  same  language  is 
used  all  over  the  planet.  There  are  no  schools  on  the  planet 
Jupiter,  none  are  needed ;  the  parents  teach  their  two  child 
ren  all  they  themselves  know ;  and  they  can  know  but  very 
little  more  than  they  do,  until  they  become  entirely  spiritual 
ized.  Angels  from  other  planets  are  constansly  visiting  them 
and  teaching  them  all  they  know.  There  is  a  great  deal  of 
uniformity  on  the  planet,  but  it  is  of  so  high  an  order  that 
one  does  not  tire  of  it. 

The  belts  of  Jupiter  are  not  visible  to  its  inhabitants,  they 
are  hundreds  of  miles  distant  from  its  surface  and  beyond  its 
atmosphere ;  they  are  composed  of  the  worthless,  or  worn  out 
atoms  that  constantly  arise  from  the  planet  and  are  pushed 
up  by  its  atmosphere,  and  as  the  ages  roll  on,  they  will  be 
again  revivified  by  a  large  comet,  and  at  length  become 
another  moon. 


XXXVII. 

THE  SHIP. 

|S  soon  as  the  new  angels  had  become  familiar  with  the 
main  facts  concerning  the  planet  Jupiter,  we  again  re 
turned  to  the  spheres  of  earth;  and  as  we  greatly  de 
sired  to  talk  with  Aristotle  about  the  planets,  we  invited  him 
to  remain  with  us  as  long  as  he  could. 

Voncelora  was  to  remain  also,  and  it  was  decided  that  we 
would  not  remain  within  the  house,  but  go  down  by  the  sea 
and  go  on  board  a  ship  and  sail  out  on  the  broad  bosom 
of  the  spiritual  ocean.  And  so  we  three  angels  floated  down 
to  the  shore,  and  there  we  found  a  beautiful  ship  ready  to  re 
ceive  us,  and  we  went  on  board,  and  taking  our  seats  on  the 
main  deck  we  were  soon  out  of  sight  of  land. 

And  as  we  sat  on  the  deck  of  this  beautiful  ship  we  began 
to  converse. 

Why  is  it,  I  asked,  that  they  have  no  ships  or  vessels  of 
any  kind,  on  the  planet  Jupiter  ?  And  why  do  they  not  have 
carriages,  cars  and  locomotives,  the  same  as  they  do  on  earth? 

"My  son,"  answered  Aristotle,  "no  planets  or  peoples 
have  anything  which  they  do  not  need.  Jupiter  was  once  in 
the  same  stage  of  progress  that  the  earth  is  now,  and  then  he 
had  cars,  carriages,  locomotives  and  vessels  of  all  kinds,  but 
he  has  no  need  of  those  things  at  the  present  time  ;  his  com 
merce  has  long  since  ceased ;  the  hurly  burly  and  hurry  of 
traffic  is  forever  over  with  him ;  his  inhabitants  have  all  be 
come  even,  one  with  another,  their  wants  are  so  few  and  so 
easily  supplied  that  he  needs  nothing  which  you  did  not  find 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  219 

upon  his  surface.  No  kind  of  tree  grows  there  heavier  than 
the  bamboo  of  earth;  there  is  not  a  rock  throughout  the 
whole  vast  globe,  and  his  weight  is  only  about  that  of  cork 
of  the  same  size.  The  men  on  the  planet  Jupiter  are  large 
and  light  in  accordance  with  the  planet,  as  are  also  the 
animals  and  birds.  As  crowds  and  traffic  are  no  longer  a 
feature  of  the  planet,  of  course  cars,  carriages,  locomotives 
and  ships  would  be  superfluous.  The  people  never  travel 
very  far  at  any  time,  and  as  the  globe  and  the  people  are 
very  uniform,  there  are  no  sights  to  see  different  from  those 
which  they  see  at  home.  The  need  of  long  journeys  is  over, 
therefore,  their  animals  and  birds  are  all  they  want.  Cook 
ing  is  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  all  that  labor  with  its  appur- 
tanances  is  over,  and  there  is  now  no  labor  upon  the  planet, 
except  to  build  a  small  bamboo  house  in  which  to  retreat 
when  they  have  those  gentle  rains  and  in  which  they  sleep. 
Their  only  method  of  cutting  the  bamboo  is  by  a  long  and 
sharp  knife,  which  they  make  from  the  breast-bone  of  a  bird; 
they  do  not  kill  the  birds  in  order  to  make  the  knives,  but 
only  take  the  bones  after  the  birds  die  a  natural  death. 
Each  family  have  about  half  a  dozen  knives  of  various  sizes, 
one  with  which  they  cut  their  fruit,  and  one,  or  two,  with 
which  to  build  their  houses.  They  could  not  have  anything 
made  of  iron,  for  that  ore  has  long  since  disappeared  from 
the  planet.  Their  musical  instruments  are  made  chiefly  from 
the  intestines  of  their  dead  animals  and  bamboo.  They 
make  a  kind  of  reed  instrument,  upon  which  they  perform 


220  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

most  wonderful  music.  Their  garments  are  made  from  the 
skins  of  animals  and  birds ;  and  their  method  of  preparing 
the  skins  is  this :  When  an  animal  dies,  they  carefully  re 
move  the  skin,  stretch  and  pin  it  to  the  earth,  and  then  scrape 
it  very  thin  and  clean ;  they  then  allow  it  to  remain  in  the  sun 
until  it  is  perfectly  dry ;  they  then  rub  it  between  their  hands 
until  it  is  very  pliable  and  soft ;  it  is  then  stretched  again  and 
coloring  applied  to  it;  and  they  have  as  many  beautiful  dyes 
as  the  rainbow,  which  they  make  by  stirring  together  juices 
of  various  plants.  They  have  no  pottery,  or  crockery  of  any 
kind;  they  could  not  make  it  if  they  would,  for  the  planet 
has  long  since  ceased  to  furnish  material;  but  gourds  grow 
plentifully,  and  their  few  utensils  are  made  out  of  gourds, 
and  some  of  them  are  extremely  beautiful,  for  they  are  painted 
and  decorated  in  the  most  elegant  manner.  And  now  my 
son,  said  the  great  philosopher,  we  will  turn  our  attention  to 
other  wonderful  things  in  nature." 

I  drew  a  long  sigh  of  intense  delight.  Oh ;  how  good  it 
was  to  be  an  angel.  What  wonderful  things  I  was  learning 
every  moment.  Well;  we  sailed  on  in  the  most  delightful 
way  for  a  long  time,  each  one  intent  on  his  own  thoughts,  and 
the  gentle  breeze  that  wafted  and  filled  our  white  sails  was  the 
very  elixir  of  heavenly  life.  If  a  mathematician  of  earth 
wanted  to  know,  positively,  the  exact  size  of  the  men  on  the 
planet  Jupiter,  all  he  would  have  to  do,  would  be,  to  find  out 
just  how  much  larger  the  planet  is  than  the  earth— which  he 
has  already  done— and  the  people  on  the  planet  are  just  as 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  221 

many  times  larger   and  lighter   than   the  people  of  earth. 

"It  is  not  absolutely  necessary  that  either  men  or  angels 
should  visit  the  planet  to  find  out  these  things ;  they  can 
arrive  at  correct  conclusions  through  the  law  of  correspon 
dences  and  exact  mathematical  calculations,  said  Voncelora." 

Oh ;  how  I  should  like  to  convince  my  son  Karl,  beyond 
the  shadow  of  a  doubt,  that  he  will  surely  live  after  the  death 
of  his  body !  How  I  should  like  to  convince  all  men  on  the 
earth  below,  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul ;  for  more  than 
half  the  people  are  unconvinced,  and  one  fourth  of  them 
believe  in  a  fiction.  The  spiritualists  are  the  nearest  right, 
and  yet  they  have  not  the  truth  in  all  its  purity,  I  said,  as  an 
uncontrollable  desire  to  this  effect  seized  me. 

"Well,  my  son,"  said  Aristotle,  "man  cannot  be  convinced 
of  anything  except  through  his  reason.  Appeal  to  your  son's 
reason,  and  your  wish  will  be  assured  to  you.  The  boy  at 
school  never  doubts  the  accuracy  of  mathematics,  after  he  has 
once  learned  the  multiplication  table,  he  is  positively  sure 
beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt  that  it  is  true,  and  you  can 
convince  men  of  the  truth  of  immortality  in  the  same  way. 
Teach  man  absolute  truth,  without  error,  and  he  can  no 
longer  doubt.  But  a  child  that  has  never  been  taught  math 
ematics  is  ignorant  of  the  truth  of  them." 

Aristotle,  will  you  accompany  me  to  earth  and  show  me 
the  exact  method  by  which  I  may  convince  my  son  ? 

"Yes;  with  pleasure,"  he  answered."  Voncelora  shall  go 
with  us  also."  And  we  left  the  ship  and  glided  down  to  earth. 


XXXVIII. 

COMPLEX  MAN. 

we  three  angels,  bearing  six  forms,  stood  around 
a  scribe  that  we  found  there,  and  compelled  the  scribe 
to  write  for  us,  for  the  good  of  my  son,  and  for  the 
good  of  mankind  in  general. 

"Now,"  said  Aristotle  to  the  scribe,  "write  out  my  proof, 
which  is  pure  reason — that  man  bears  an  immortal  spirit 
within  his  material  body.  But  first,  we  will  telegraph  for  two 
eminent  physicians.  Let  them  come  and  help  us — Galen 
and  Warren." 

And  we  sent  a  telegram  for  them,  and  they  shortly  arrived. 
Now  we  all  worked  in  concert  together,  and  that  which 
follows  is  the  result. 

When  you  look  at  a  man  you  see  nothing  before  you  but 
a  man  composed  of  skin,  or,  epidermis ;  and  if  you  trusted 
to  nothing  but  your  eyes,  without  reason,  you  could  not  say 
that  man  was  composed  of  anything  but  skin.  Now  there  is 
the  perfect  form  of  a  man  composed  of  skin.  Underneath 
the  epidermis  is  the  true  skin,  which  is  to  the  sight  invisible. 
So  there  is  another  perfect  form  of  man,  composed  of  true 
skin.  Underneath  the  true  skin  is  another  perfect  form,  com 
posed  of  veins.  Take  away  all  else,  and  there  stands  the 
man  of  veins. 


THE  DISCO  VERED  CO UNTR  T.  223 

Next,  there  is  the  perfect  arterial  man.  Next,  there 
stands  the  perfect  form  of  man,  composed  of  nerves.  Now, 
we  have  the  perfect  form  of  man,  composed  of  muscles.  Then 
there  stands  the  perfect  form  of  man,  composed  of  bone — 
per  se — a  skeleton. 

Now  all  this  is  matter,  or  material  substance,  which  would 
be  inert,  or  dead,  if  it  were  not  for  an  animating  principle 
that  permeated  every  particle  of  this  complex  structure  ;  and 
that  animating  principle  is  the  perfect  spiritual  man ;  and 
this  spiritual  man  is  composed  of  magnetism  and  electricity. 

Now  there  is  a  perfect  form  composed  of  magnetism  and 
another  one  composed  of  electricity ;  and  these  two  are  the 
immortal,  imperishable  form  of  man  ;  they  are  united,  and  go 
hand  in  hand.  One  cannot  exist  without  the  other.  Now 
there  is  a  third  principle,  which  we  will  call  the  soul  of  man ; 
and  the  magnetic  form,  and  the  electric  form,  bear  the  soul 
within  them.  The  soul  is  the  guiding  principle  of  the  spirit 
ual  body  ;  and  it  clothes  itself  with  magnetism  and  elec 
tricity;  that  is,  it  holds  it  together  in  the  perfect  form  of 
man.  Now,  when  the  soul  leaves  the  material  body  of 
man,  it  takes  the  magnetic  and  electric  body  with  it;  for 
these  three  bodies  are  inseparable.  Magnetism,  as  all  know. 
is  invisible,  except  under  certain  conditions ;  and  electricity 
is  also  an  invisible  substance,  except  under  certain  conditions 
and  the  soul  is  an  invisible  substance,  except  under  certain 
conditions ;  and  if  man  did  not  have  a  magnetic  and  an  elec 
tric  body,  there  would  be  no  heat  within  him ;  for  it  is  the 


224  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

uniting  of  magnetism  and  electricity  that  causes  all  light  and 
heat.  When  the  soul  leaves  the  material  body  of  a  man,  and 
has  taken  with  it  all  the  magnetism  and  electricity,  the 
material  body  falls  apart  or  decays ;  for  its  animating  princi 
ple  has  left  it — all  that  could  think,  hear,  feel,  or  see,  has 
left  it. 

Now  this  that  has  left  the  material  body,  we  call  the 
spiritual  body ;  and  it  is  triune  in  its  nature — the  intelligent 
body,  the  magnetic  body,  and  the  electric  body — and  this 
body  has  lost  nothing  but  a  gross  covering  of  matter,  which 
it  no  longer  needs.  All  that  thinks,  hears,  sees  or  feels,  it 
retains  ;  for  these  are  of  the  soul  and  not  of  the  material 
body ;  for  if  they  were,  the  material  body  would  still  continue 
to  think,  hear,  feel  and  see,  just  the  same  when  the  soul  had 
fled.  Now  the  soul  has  an  electric  and  magnetic  body ;  and 
the  magnetic  and  the  electric  body  are  perfectly  and  evenly 
balanced;  they  are  in  exact  equilibrium;  they  are  the  clothing 
and  the  vehicles  of  the  soul;  and  these  three  bodies  in  one, 
are  all  invisible  to  the  material  sight  of  man,  because  com 
posed  of  invisible  substance,  for  all  know  that  electricity  is 
invisible,  and  magnetism  is  invisible,  and  the  soul  is  invisi 
ble,  but  this  body  may  be  visible  under  certain  conditions. 
Now  the  soul  is  the  intelligent,  or  animating  principle  of  the 
magnetic  and  electric  body ;  and  it  can  move  its  electric  body 
with  the  swiftness  of  electricity,  or  it  can  gently  float,  or  re 
main  quiescent ;  and  the  magnetic  body  attracts  and  holds 
together  the  electric  body ;  for  the  magnetic  body  permeates 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  225 

the  electric  body,  and  the  intelligent  soul  permeates  and 
guides  the  whole ;  and  the  God  that  man  talks  so  much 
about,  sits  enthroned  within  his  own  body — for  God  and  the 
soul  of  man  are  one  and  the  same  person ;  and  the  soul  oi 
man  first  exists  as  an  invisible  germ  within  a  little  invisible 
magnetic  and  electric  globe  ;  male  and  female  in  one,  as  has 
previously  been  stated  in  this  book.  Therefore,  God  is  both 
male  and  female,  equally  balanced,  and  co-existent. 

"Now,"  said  Voncelora,  "let  us  return  to  our  gallant 
ship,"  and  so  we  all  together,  quickly  returned  to  our  beauti 
ful  vessel,  and  the  vessel  was  built  in  the  same  way  that  out 
houses  had  been;  but  by  many  angels  acting  in  concert 
together.  And  as  she  rose  and  fell  on  the  magnetic  waves 
of  a  vast  electric  sea,  thus  we  talked  together. 


*  XXXIX. 

THE  PULSING  HEART. 

Angels,  I  said,  before  I  left  the  material  body,  1 
used  to  ponder  deeply  on  the  cause  of  a  man's  heart 
beating ;  for  when  the  heart  ceased  to  beat  the  man 
was  dead ;  or,  that  was  the  way  that  I  looked  at  it,  and  I 
used  to  think  if  there  were  a  way  to  keep  a  person's  heart 
beating,  possibly  he  might  never  die.  But  the  question  that 
I  desire  to  ask,  is,  what  causes  a  man's  heart  to  beat  ?  For 
my  heart,  now  that  I  am  an  angel,  is  stiM  beating ;  and  it  has 
never  ceased  to  beat,  to  my  knowledge.  The  beating  merely 
left  the  material  heart,  it  still  pulses  on. 

"Well,"  answered  Galen,  "that  thought  often  crossed  my 
mind  when  I  was  on  the  earth;  and  shortly  after  becoming 
an  angel,  and  finding  my  own  heart  still  beating,  I  inquired 
of  some  of  the  archangels  and  received  the  desired  informa 
tion." 

"My  dear  Herfronzo,"  said  Galen,  "what  causes  the  pis 
ton,  within  the  cylinder  of  a  locomotive,  to  work  up  or  down ; 
or  in  other  words,  to  move,  to  pulse  or  beat,  what  is  the 
motive  power  ? 


7 HE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  227 

Well,  I  answered,  in  my  day  it  was  steam ;  but  they  are 
now  getting  electricity  as  a  motive  power. 

"We  will  take  steam,  then,  as  the  motive  power ;  for  I 
think  I  shall  be  able  to  make  it  clearer  to  you,  and  I  shall  ask 
you,  what  is  the  cause  of  steam  ?" 

Why,  boiling  water. 

4 'What  causes  the  water  to  boil?" 

Well,  the  cause  of  that  would  be  evident  to  any  child — 
heat,  of  course. 

"What  is  the  cause  of  heat  ?" 

Why  the  burning  of  something. 

"What  causes  the  burning  ?" 

Why,  a  thing  that  can  burn  is  ignited. 

"What  causes  a  thing  to  be  ignited  ?" 

Really,  Galen,  you  must  answer  that  question  for  me.  I 
am  afraid  I  do  not  know. 

"Well  said  Galen,  "a.  spark  of  electricity." 

4'Oh;  ah;  yes,  I  said. 

"But  we  will  take  a  thunder  bolt,  as  an  example.  Of 
course  you  are  well  aware  that  lightning  is  an  electric  fluid  ; 
per-se  the  lightning  rod." 

"Well,  Herfronzo,  our  next  question  must  be,  what  is 
electricity  ?" 

Oh,  dear ;  I  said,  I  am  afraid  we  are  wading  out  beyond 
my  power  of  comprehension. 

"Not  so,  he  answered,  "  we  are  now  getting  at  the  great 
pulsing  heart  of  all  things — the  eternal  motive  power ;  and 


228  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

the  motive  power  is  the  little  invisible  flame  called  magnet 
ism.  Now  magnetism  is  a  pure,  invisible,  spiritual  flame,  or 
in  other  words,  the  vast  ocean  of  spirit  and  matter  are  coun 
terparts.  Each  little  flame  of  magnetism  attracts  and  holds 
an  equal  proportion  of  matter;  which  makes  a  perfect  atom. 
The  little  flame  is  the  central  point,  or  nucleus  of  the  atom ; 
and  the  coalescing  of  the  two  principles,  matter  and  magnet 
ism,  generate  heat,  or  the  little  magnetic  flame  within  the 
atom  heats  the  atom  to  a  white  heat ;  therefore  heat  is  the 
coalescing  of  magnetism  and  matter ;  and  thus  worlds  are 
formed.  But  atoms,  nor  worlds,  never  cease  in  their  motion, 
they  forever  obey  the  great  law  of  magnetic  attraction  ;  and 
the  magnetic  body  within  a  man,  which  animates  the  electric 
body  and  forever  hides  within  it ;  is  the  secret  cause  of  the 
pulsing  heart.  It  is  the  spirit  within  a  man  which  pulses  ; 
and  magnetism  01  spiritual  flame  is  the  motive  power.  There 
fore,  dear  Herfronzo,  your  heart  still  beats,  and  will  keep  on 

beating  while  the  eternal  ages  roll." 

Oh  ;  how  good  it  is  to  be  an  Angel !     I  exclaimed,  Joy ! 

joy !  forever  more.     We  had  been  sailing  on  and  on,  all  this 

time. 

"Herfronzo,"  said  Aristotle,  "do  you  realize  that  we  are 

sailing  on  great  magnetic  waves  of  a  spiritual  sea  ?" 

Well  I  suppose  it  must  be  so,  I  answered,  for  it  is  not 

water  such  as  there  is  on  earth ;  neither  is  it  water  such  as  I 

found  in  the  lower  spiritual  spheres. 

"We  are  now  beyond  the  spheres  of  earth,"  he  said,  "and 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  229 

we  are  rapidly  sailing  towards  the  sun  of  your  earth.  Ex 
amine  these  waves,  Herfronzo ;  examine  them  well."  And  I 
obeyed. 

It  was  a  vast  ocean  of  pure  amber  flame,  rolling  in  great 
waves  all  in  one  direction,  and  that  direction  toward  the  sun, 
as  I  could  now  see. 

"This  is  a  pure  magnetic  sea"  said  Aristotle,  "devoid  of 
matter;  and  its  destination  is  the  sun.  Presently  we  shall 
arrive  there." 

And  soon  we  landed  on  the  sun.  Now  the  sun  is  not  a 
solid  globe  like  the  earth,  neither  is  it  inhabited;  and  it  is  as 
black  as  the  blackest  night;  and  is  composed  of  pure  matter, 
devoid  of  spirit,  or  in  other  words,  it  is  pure  carbon  devoid 
of  magnetism  ;  but  as  these  great  magnetic  waves  strike  it, 
and  penetrate  it,  it  continually  bursts  into  golden  flame  and 
sends  forth  its  rays  of  life,  and  light,  and  heat.  The  body  of 
the  sun  is  a  dead,  primary  world,  that  has  yielded  up  its 
spirit  countless  ages  ago ;  and  that  spirit  retains  its  form,  as 
we  retain  ours ;  and  it  constantly  sends  back  great  magnetic 
waves  to  the  body  of  the  sun,  which  causes  the  sun  to 
blaze  in  golden  glory. 

"Now,  said  Aristotle,  "we  will  go  and  pay  a  visit  to  the 
sun's  counterpart ;  for  the  sun,  like  ourselves,  is  actually  but 
one  sun  in  two  forms,  male  and  female;  magnetism  and 
electricity.  But  we  will  leave  our  ship  behind  and  travel  on 
rays  of  light." 

And     as  fast  as    electricity  and    light    can  travel,  we 


230  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

journeyed  toward  the  sun's  magnetic  counterpart ;  and  pre 
sently  we  arrived  there.  And  here  we  found  a  great  chemical 
laboratory.  For  every  ray  of  light  and  heat  which  the  sun 
shoots  forth,  travels  directly  to  this  magnetic  globe,  and  is 
there  again  resolved  into  magnetism  proper ;  and  then  rolls 
back  again  in  great  waves  to  the  sun.  This  magnetic  globe 
is  invisible  to  man,  as  all  magnetism  is;  and  the  electric 
body  of  the  sun  is  also  invisible  to  man ;  it  is  the  result  that 
is  visible ;  it  is  the  light  and  heat  of  magnetism  and  electricity 
that  man  sees  and  feels ;  for  the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun 
strikes  and  bathes  in  glory,  all  the  planets  that  lie  between 
it  and  its  counterpart;  and  the  great  magnetic  waves,  as 
they  roll  towards  the  sun,  strike  and  bathe,  and  nourish  all 
the  planets  that  lie  between  it  and  the  sun.  Now  as  the 
clothing  or  form  of  the  soul,  is  composed,  equally  of  magnet 
ism  and  electricity,  it  finds  no  difficulty  in  traveling  on  the 
wings  of  either ;  and  if  man  on  earth  wishes  to  know  how 
fast  an  angel  can  travel,  he  has  only  to  watch  the  lightning's 
flash,  and  that  truly  reveals  it  to  him.  Or,  an  angel  can 
move  or  glide,  as  slowly  as  it  pleases,  or  remain  perfectly  at 
rest. 


XIv. 

HOW  A  SCRIBE  IS  MADE  TO  WRITE. 

,FTER  visiting  the  sun,  and  its  magnetic  counterpart,  we 
were  all  very  weary,  and  going  on  board  a  ship,  which 
we  found  ready  to  receive  us,  we  sailed  back  to  our 
own  native  spheres — back  to  Helene's  villa,  which  we  dearly 
loved.  Warren  and  Galen  took  their  leave  of  us  at  the  door, 
but  Aristotle  and  Voncelora  remained  with  us,  at  our  earnest 
request;  for  I  longed  to  converse  with  them  about  all  that  we 
had  seen  on  the  planet  Jupiter,  and  the  Sun  and  its  counter-' 
part.  But  first  we  needed  rest  and  refreshment.  The  ladies 
retired  to  prepare  our  dinner,  and  we  three  gentlemen  remain 
ed  in  the  parlor.  My  weariness  was  greater  than  that  of  the 
other  two,  for  it  was  my  first  long  journey,  and  I  really  could 
not  sit  up,  and  so  I  lay  upon  the  sofa.  Aristotle  and  Vonce 
lora  rested  within  easy  chairs— but  let  me  here  say,  it  is  not 
the  body  of  an  angel  that  becomes  tired,  but  it  is  the  soul ; 
it  must  rest  and  digest  that  which  it  has  seen  and  heard, 
just  the  same  after  leaving  the  material  body,  as  it  does  while 
within  it. 

I  should  like  very  much,  to  witness  the  ascension  of  some 
one  of  the  people  on  the  planet  Jupiter ;  it  must  be  a  very 
interesting  occasion. 

"It  is,"  answered  Aristotle.    When  a  man  and  his  wife 


232  2 HE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

have  lived  for  about  a  thousand  years  of  earth's  time — it  is 
not  a  thousand  years  of  Jupiter's  time — they  are  ready  to 
make  the  ascension.  Their  material  bodies  have  become 
very  attenuated,  not  shrivelled,  or  shrunken,  but  larger  and 
more  expansive, — lighter,  thinner,  more  like  vapor, — it  is  a 
time  of  great  rejoicing  with  all  their  friends ;  they  gather 
about  them  with  bands  of  music ;  they  feast  and  dance  for 
joy ;  and  when  the  spiritual  part  of  the  ascending  one  has 
become  entirely  disengaged  from  its  material  body,  it  slowly 
ascends  in  plain  sight  of  the  assembled  company.  The 
etherial  body  has  again  taken  on  all  its  youthful  beauty,  but 
greatly  heightened;  it  has  become  heavenly  beauty.  As 
these  two  forms  slowly  rise,  they  look  down  and  bless  the 
people  assembled  ;  and  with  sweet  and  heavenly  smiles,  they 
gradually  disappear  with  a  group  of  angels  that  join, 
and  receive  them.  Then  the  company  gradually  disperse 
with  joy  and  gladness.  One  of  their  number  has  gone  from 
their  midst,  and  is  now  with  the  angels  in  glorious  and 
heavenly  light.  The  nearest  friends  gather  together  the  form 
that  is  left,  and  cast  it  forth  with  other  refuse  matter,  as  of 
no  account ;  they  think  of  it,  only  as  they  do  the  husks  of 
their  grain  or  fruit,  and  treat  it  just  the  same." 

Presently,  the  ladies  came  and  invited  us  to  the  dining 
room ;  and  we  took  our  seats  at  the  festive  board. 

"As  soon  as  we  are  completely  rested  and  refreshed," 
said  Voncelora,  "I  propose  that  we  visit  earth  and  see  how 
our  loved  ones  are  there." 


THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY.  233 

We  all  agreed  to  this ;   and  in  a  few  hours  we  started  ;  but 
instead  of  lingering  near  my  son  Karl,  we  went  directly  to 
our  scribe  ;  for  we  had  many  things  that  we  wished  written 
for  the  good,  not  only  of  my  son,  but  for  the  people  in  general. 
"Now,"  said  Aristotle  to  the  scribe,  "we  desire  that  you 
should  write  how  it  is  that  we  influence  you  to  write  that 
which  we  desire  you  to  write.     Many  people  ask  the  question, 
why  it  is  that  people,  when  angels  are  near  them,  influencing 
them,  shake  and  shiver,  and  feel  cold -chills  run  down  their 
backs,  their  hands  shake  and  twitch,  and  we  will  tell  them  " 
We  have  already  told  you  that  our  bodies  are  composed 
of  magnetism  and  electricity,  held  together  and  guided  by 
onr  intelligent  soul.      Now  when  we  put  ourselves  in  juxta 
position  with  a  material  body,   and  with  our  stronger  and 
more  powerful  will,  overpower  and  control  the  soul  within 
that  body,  our  electric  and  magnetic  body  often  enters  the 
material  body  of  the  one  we  are  controling;  and  it  is  the 
sudden  electric  shocks  which  chill  and  shake  them  so.     It  is 
the  foreign  and  surplus  magnetism  and  electricity  which  fills 
them.     Our  subtile   and  refined   body  fills   them   and   our 
stronger  will  overpowers  theirs.     It  is  then  they  do  not  appear 
like  themselves,  but  wiser,  more  God-like,  more  powerful;  for 
it  is  not  themselves,  but  ourselves.      Again,  magnetism  and 
electricity  are  able  to   penetrate  most  material  substances ; 
and  that  is  why  we  are  able  to  pass  in  and  out,  and  stand 
by  your  side,  when  all  doors  are  closed.      That  is  why  we 
come  to  you  like  flashes  of  light,  and  then  are  gone.     Or,  we 


234  THE  DISCOVERED  COUNTRY. 

can  remain  with  you  as  long  as  we  please.  That  is  why 
orators,  and  men  and  women  of  genius,  are  constantly  out 
doing  themselves,  and  talking  and  writing  better  than  they 
know.  It  is  not  they  but  us ;  and  a  so-called  dead  man  has 
written  this  book  in  this  way.  In  other  words,  this  book  and 
the  everlasting  truths  it  contains,  has  been  entirely  written 
by  an  Angel ;  and  it  is  a  part  of  his  experience  in  the  spirit 
ual  and  angelic  life. 

It  is  no  work  of  the  imagination,  and  I  will  not  allow  it 
to  pass  as  such.  But  it  is  absolute  truth,  stripped  of  error ; 
and  I  am  not  conscious  of  one  false  thing  herein  written, 
except  in  the  matter  of  two  names.  My  own  name  and  that 
of  Voncelora.  And  tne  right  names  I  would  have  most 
willingly  given  to  the  world,  but  could  not  on  account  of 
my  son  whose  name  is  not  Karl. 

The  end !  Not  of  Life  Truth,  or  Love  and  Wisdom— 
but  the  end  of  this  book. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


fSYCHICKLHoVEL 


ARLYLE 

TERSILE 


PRESS   NOTICES. 


A  PIANO  VIRTUOSO  TURNS  AUTHOR. 

CARLYLE  PETERSILEA'S  PSYCHICAL  NOVELS. 

BOOKS  upon  psychical  or  occult  subjects  have  been  frequent  of  late,  and 
command  considerable  attention  from  the  reading  public  and  the  press; 
but  it  is  seldom  we  find  a  musician  entering  the  literary  field.  Not  long 
since  a  volume  entitled  "Oceanides,"  a  psychical  novel,  made  its  appear 
ance  in  Boston,  under  the  author's  nom  de  plume  of  Ernst  von  Himmel. 
It  commanded  large  attention  in  that  cultivated  community  which  listens 
to  any  theory  concerning  the  present  or  the  life  to  come  without  preju 
dice,  and  is  just  as  apt  to  accept  or  reject  any  radical  idea  set  forth,  if  it  be 
presented  with  logical  force.  It  has  just  been  made  public  that  the  author 
of  the  work,  also  a  second,  entitled  "The  Discovered  Country,"  is  Mr. 
Carlyle  Petersilea,  renowned  for  his  Beethoven  playing,  and  the  director 
of  the  Petersilea  Music  School,  which  has  taught  thousands  of  students, 
and  been  in  operation  for  the  past  twenty-one  years. 

The  son  of  an  eminent  musician,  Petersilea  was  known  in  his  childhood 
as  a  prodigy  who  took  to  Bach's  preludes  and  fugues  as  other  children 
take  to  tops  or  marbles.  In  fact,  he  played  the  whole  forty-eight  from 
memory,  and  made  a  stir  as  a  pianist  at  the  age  of  twelve.  His  career  as 
a  pianist  and  teacher,  and  his  extraordinary  memorizing  of  the  entire  list 
of  the  Beethoven  sonatas,  and  his  inspiring  performances  of  the  same, 
are  too  well-known  to  require  reiteration  at  this  late  day.  He  now  comes 
before  the  public  as  the  author  of  these  extraordinary  books,  which  have 
called  forth  many  strong  letters  from  some  of  Boston's  advanced  men  and 
women  in  the  literary  world,  including  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes.  Mr. 
Petersilea  began  last  night  a  series  of  six  Friday  pianoforte  recitals  at  the 
First  Spiritual  Temple,  Boston,  in  which  his  programmes  are  chosen  from 
Mozart,  Schubert,  Beethoven,  Chopin,  and  Rubinstein,  with  songs  by 
Lassen  and  Franz.  These  recitals  will  be  interspersed  with  readings  from 
his  two  books.  The  programmes  are  prefaced  with  the  following  sentence 

3 


NOTICES, 

from  "The  Discovered  Country  :  "  " In  the  ages  to  come,  Love,  Wisdom, 
and  Goodness  —  which  is  Heaven  —  will  prevail ;  -while  Hate,  Barbarism, 
and  Criielty  —  ^uhich  is  Hell — shall  pass  away,"  which  seems  to  be  the  key 
stone  of  this  singular  work.  But  to  the  book  in  question,  we  reproduce 
the  chapter  from  "The  Discovered  Country"  on  the  visit  to  Bach  in  the 
celestial  world  :  — 

BACH. 

"  '  Now,'  said  Helene,  '  we  are  prepared  to  enter  the  Vestibule  of 
Harmony,  which  is  the  name  of  the  edifice  before  us.' 

"  Imagine  my  feelings  at  this  supreme  moment.  Here  I  stood,  an 
immortal  soul  ;  passed  the  portals  of  that  which  is  called  death  ;  all 
doubts  had  forever  vanished  away  with  the  dark  and  dreary  past,  and 
I  stood  now  in  the  bright  and  beautiful  sunshine  of  actual,  experimental 
certainty  ;  and  I  was  about  to  enter,  what  my  soul  now  longed  for,  a 
most  beautiful  and  magnificent  building,  wherein  were  gathered  some  of 
the  greatest  composers  and  masters  of  music  that  the  earth  had  ever 
known.  My  soul  was  awe-struck,  and  trembled  with  joyful  emotion. 
The  massive  portals  swung  wide  ;  we  glided  through  them  and  paused  for 
a  short  time,  for  the  light  and  glory  within  were  too  much,  at  first,  for  my 
new-born  and  tender  soul.  Presently  I  heard  a  deep  and  sympathetic 
voice  near  us,  and,  looking  up,  a  gentleman  stood  there  with  extended 
hand.  He  was  tall  and  finely  proportioned,  with  large,  dark,  piercing, 
yet  sympathetic  eyes;  wide,  full,  clear  brow;  fine,  dark,  curling  hair  that 
waved  to  his  shoulders;  sweet,  full,  sensitive  lips,  with  clear-cut,  har 
monious  features.  His  clothes  were  fine  and  dark  in  color,  and  fitted  his 
supple  form  perfectly.  A  small  jewel  flashed  and  burned  on  his  breast 
with  such  dazzling  brightness  that  I  could  not  look  at  it,  and  as  he  ex 
tended  his  hand,  I  caught  the  gleam  of  a  similar  one  on  his  finger.  He 
looked  so  much  like  a  refined  gentleman  of  earth,  that  my  embarrassment 
and  fear  left  me,  and  I  took  the  hand  so  cordially  extended  to  me.  It 
was  soft,  yet  firm  ;  but  it  sent  such  a  thrilling  shock  through  my  whole 
being  that  I  dropped  it  in  sudden  fright.  He  gazed  at  me  with  his  lumi 
nous  eyes,  and  a  soft  smile  parted  his  perfect  lips,  showing  his  beautiful 
teeth  of  dazzling  whiteness.  'Take  my  hand  once  more,'  said  he,  '  and 
it  will  give  you  strength  ;  for  you  will  need  all  the  strength  at  your  com 
mand,  as  well  as  all  that  I  can  impart  to  you,  in  order  to  meet  those  whom 
you  will  see  and  hear  within  this  hall.' 


PRESS  NOTICES.  5 

"  I  took  the  extended  hand  once  more,  and  with  the  clasp,  gentle 
thrilling  shocks  passed  through  and  through  me  again,  until  I  began  to 
feel  large  and  strong  and  powerful,  as  though  I  could  bear  to  see  the 
heavens  open  before  me  ;  and  then  the  soft  and  gentle  voice  of  Helene 
said  : — 

"  '  Herfronzo,  this  is  Bach  ! ' 

"  I  gazed  at  him.  Great  waves  of  love  and  joyful  emotion  filled  my 
soul,  for  he  had  been  one  of  my  favorite  composers,  and  times  without 
number  I  had  played  his  grand  anthems,  his  soft,  prayerful  melodies,  and 
his  gliding,  whispering,  spiritual  songs.  Oh,  I  had  loved  and  appreciated 
him  well !  How  little  I  then  thought  that  he  knew  it  all,  and  that  he  had 
often  been  near  me,  listening  and  lending  inspiration  to  my  touch;  but  now 
one  glance  revealed  the  whole.  For  a  moment  I  felt  as  though  I  could 
fall  down  and  worship  him,' but  he  restrained  me,  saying  :  — 

"  '  Brother,  would  you  like  to  hear  me  play?  ' 

"That  was  the  wish  then  uppermost  in  my  mind.  He  led  us  up  a 
gently  inclined  way  that  ran  on  either  side  the  wide  portals,  and  ushered 
us  into  a  sanctuary.  It  was  lighted  by  one  of  the  large  stained-glass  win 
dows  before  mentioned.  The  plac^looked  so  home-like,  and  withal  so 
exquisitely  beautiful,  that  I  lost  my  embarrassment  at  finding  myself  in  the 
presence  of  one  that  my  soul  had  revered,  and  that  I  supposed  would  be 
so  far  above  and  beyond  me,  that  I  could  never  hope  to  meet  him  on  such 
terms  of  intimacy  and  equality  as  I  now  found  myself.  He  politely  and 
affectionately  asked  us  to  be  seated.  We  seated  ourselves  in  some  soft  and 
elegant  chairs  that  stood  about  the  place,  and  then  my  eyes  roved  about, 
drinking  in  the  beautiful  vision.  The  room  was  circular  in  form,  the 
ceiling  a  dome  of  pale  azure,  but  so  lofty  I  could  not  tell  of  what  it  was 
composed  ;  what  surprised  me  more  than  anything  else  was  seven  large 
globes,  turning,  wheeling,  revolving  within  this  domed  arch.  I  sat  gazing 
at  them  in  pleased  astonishment.  There  was  an  exact  representation  of  the 
Sun,  the  central  point  of  attraction,  light  golden  in  color,  sending  forth  his 
rays  of  light,  which  was,  as  Aristotle  had  explained  to  me,  the  coalescing 
of  two  great  principles  in  nature,  Magnetism  and  Electricity.  Circling 
around  the  Sun,  on  the  outermost  limits,  was  a  pale,  silvery  planet  ;  it  was 
the  Magnetic  counterpart  of  the  Sun.  It  rolled  in  pale  majesty,  over  and 
over,  around  and  around  ;  and  the  Sun,  by  the  power  of  its  magnetism, 
obeyed  its  every  motion. 

"  The  grandeur  of  the  whole  thing  nearly  overpowered  me.     Helene 


6  PRESS  NOTICES. 

glanced  at  me  with  her  large  magnetic  eyes  ;  strength  and  assurance 
returned  to  me,  and  now  I  looked  again.  There  were  Mercury,  Venus, 
Earth,  Mars,  Saturn,  Jupiter,  Uranus.  Now  these  planets  were  all 
revolving  precisely  as  they  do  in  the  heavens,  and  I  could  see  all  things 
appertaining  to  them, —  which  ones  were  inhabited,  their  differences,  man 
ners,  and  customs.  Oh,  it  would  take  ages  to  learn  all  that  might  be 
learned  of  this  one  system  alone  ! 

"  '  Well,'  said  Bach  in  his  sweetly  thrilling  voice,  '  those  seven  planets 
represent  the  seven  fundamental  sounds  in  music.  All  things  in  nature 
correspond,  as  you  will  not  be  long  in  discovering  if  you  are  an  apt  pupil, 
which  I  am  sure  you  are.'  And  he  smiled  his  brilliant  smile,  and  the 
jewel  on  his  breast  flashed  and  glittered  and  sent  forth  rays  of  dazzling 
light. 

"  The  walls  were  panelled,  but  in  a  very  strange  and  beautiful  way.  As 
I  looked  at  these  panels,  it  appeared  as  though  I  were  looking  out  through 
a  vista  dim  ;  yet,  as  I  looked,  each  view  became  clearer,  brighter,  more 
entrancing  ;  and  again  the  thought  that  it  would  take  ages  upon  ages  to 
understand  all  one  might  see  in  this  direction.  I  closed  my  eyes  to  bring 
my  senses  back  to  what  was  immediately  before  me.  I  glanced  at  the 
window,  and  I  was  looking  out  into  a  heaven  so  exquisite,  so  dazzlingly 
beautiful,  that  the  window  must  be  stained  to  soften  the  glory,  so  that 
pupils  lately  arrived  from  earth  could  look  and  not  be  completely  over 
powered.  The  floor  of  the  room  was  an  Emerald,  and  as  I  gazed 
downward,  I  saw  dim  visions  of  spheres  upon  spheres  below  me,  and  if 
one  were  to  look  long  enough,  one  could  decipher  them  all. 

BACH    PLAYS. 

"Again  the  sweetly  melodious  voice  of  Bach  said:  — 

"  '  Brother,  would  you  like  to  hear  me  play? ' 

"  '  Yes.     Oh,  yes  ;    I  had  almost  forgotten  that.' 

"  I  now  saw  the  room  was  filled  with  all  kinds  of  musical  instruments. 
A  grand  organ,  an  elegant  piano,  a  violin  and  violoncello,  and  all  the 
various  instruments,  both  great  and  small,  that  I  had  ever  seen  or  heard 
of,  and  many  more  I  knew  nothing  about. 

"  Bach  seated  himself  at  the  organ  and  commenced  to  play.  Soft  and 
tender  and  low.  It  was  the  crickets  chirping  under  the  hearthstone  in 
the  house  where  I  was  born,  in  that  far-off  time  in  the  Vaterland  ;  and 
now  the  soft  voice  of  my  mutter  crooning  pretty  measures  to  her  baby-boy  ; 


PRESS  NOTICES.  7 

and  now  my  little  sisters  began  to  chatter  and  play  and  sing  their  childish 
songs.  The  little  birds  and  streamlets  joined  their  voices,  the  summer 
winds  caught  up  the  song,  the  trees  waved  their  broad  arms  aloft,  and  the 
ocean  commenced  her  boom,  boom,  boom  ;  and  then  a  pause.  Now  I 
was  dancing  with  my  sweetheart  on  the  floor  of  the  old  barn  ;  now  my 
marriage  bells  rang  out  sweet  and  clear  ;  then  the  rocking  of  the  old  ship 
as  the  waves  dashed  about  her;  then  the  new,  bright  land  appeared,  — 
too  new  and  bright  to  be  very  comfortable  at  first,  —  and  then  the  hand-over 
hand  struggle  for  existence  ;  then  came  sad  and  touching  requiems,  the 
heavens  opened,  and  an  angel  ascended  ;  they  closed  again,  and  heavy 
clods  fell  on  the  coffin  lid  ;  then  commenced  the  wailing  sound  of  grief 
and  motherless  children.  Then  again  marriage  bells  ;  but  this  time  they 
had  lost  their  glad  sound,  and  were  faint  and  far  away  ;  then  the  paean 
took  on  a  grander,  wider  sound,  and  the  march  of  life  began  in  earnest  ; 
little  fresh,  new  voices  were  added  all  the  way.  Then  I  was  lost  to  all 
objective  things  in  the  grand  finale.  It  ended,  and  there  I  sat  like  one 
entranced.  Ah  !  that  was  playing  as  I  could  never  play. 

"'And  now,'  said  Bach,  rising,  'I  want  to  hear  you  play;'  but  I 
thought  I  could  not  after  hearing  him :  it  seemed  as  if  my  touches  would 
be  mere  infant's  play  ;  his  gentle  voice  encouraged  me,  and  I  seated 
myself  at  the  piano. 

"  I  touched  the  keys  softly  ;  the  notes  took  on  a  heavenly  sound,  and 
I  played  a  miscellaneous  jumble  until  I  was  tired. 

"  <  Now,'  said  Bach,  <  we  are  going  to  straighten  that  all  out,  every 
thread  of  it,  until  it  shall  make  complete  and  heavenly  music,  are  we 
not?  '  extending  his  hand  to  Helene. 

"  Her  beautiful  eyes,  filled  with  tender  light,  answered  him  ;  and  then 
he  waved  us  an  affectionate  farewell,  and  we  left  the  grand  hall  for  this 
time,  to  return  to  it  again  and  again  whenever  we  wished."  —American 
Art  Journal,  February  20,  1892. 

LOVE  AND   PHILOSOPHY. 

Oceanides  is  the  name  of  a  nnu  psychical  novel  by  Ernst  von  Ifim- 
mel,  author  of  that  charming  book,  "  7"he  Discovered  Country." 

THIS  octavo  of  four  hundred  and  eighteen  pages  further  emphasizes  the 
theory  of  the  author,  that  true  marriage  is  a  soul-mating,  and  that  if  not 
in  this  life,  certainly  in  the  spirit-world,  all  shall  eventually  find  their 
soul-mates,  and  there  live  together  in  perpetual  harmony  and  love. 


8  PRESS  NOTICES. 

Besides  this  pleasant  theory  of  eternal  mating,  the  author  relates  sev 
eral  conversations  he  claims  to  have  with  ascended  spirits,  who  teach  him 
how  our  planet  was  made,  and  how  organized  life  came  to  exist  upon  it. 
This  part  of  the  book  is  particularly  interesting  to  those  who  are  speculat 
ing  upon  the  origin  of  man.  Mr.  von  Himmel  adopts  the  evolutionary 
theory,  and  brings  man  out  of  the  gorilla.  But  the  steps  taken  in  evolv 
ing  the  first  organism  from  invisible  germs  floating  in  the  atmos 
pheric  ether  in  space,  are  really  novel,  and  will  arrest  the  attention  of  the 
reader. 

The  book,  both  in  its  story  and  in  its  speculations,  will  hold  the  reader 
to  a  close  perusal  to  the  end.  It  is  a  very  enticing  book.  We  give 
below  a  glimpse  at  the  author's  theory  of  world  building:  — 

"There  is  an  infinite,  ethereal  sea,  and  within  this  ethereal  sea  is  the 
atomical  sea,  and  the  atomical  sea  completely  fills  the  ethereal  sea,  yet 
the  ethereal  sea  completely  surrounds  each  atom,  so  that  no  one  atom 
absolutely  touches  another  atom;  the  atoms  are  a  shade  heavier  and  more 
dense  than  the  ether,  yet  the  atom  is  counterpoised  and  evenly  balanced 
by  a  third  principle  at  its  very  heart,  or  central  point,  which  .is  a  pure 
flame,  pale  amber  in  color,  just  a  point,  a  dot  of  pure  magnetic  flame. 

"  Out  of  this  ethereal  and  atomical  sea,  spring  forth  all  things  that  are 
or  ever  shall  be,  —  suns  and  moons  and  stars,  constellations  and  systems 
and  zones  of  worlds,  angels  and  archangels. 

"  Within  this  sea,  which  extends  throughout  all  space  and  time,  lie  the 
germs  of  all  possible  things;  the  material  out  of  which  all  existent  things 
are  formed;  and  it  is  the  uniting  or  marriage  of  the  magnetic  flame  and 
translucent  matter  that  gives  birth  to  all  form." 

Von  Himmel  is  then  shown  a  new  world,  which  has  now  attained  great 
size,  and  his  teacher  says,  "  From  a  small  nucleus  of  atoms  has  grown 
into  shape  and  size  this  immense  globe.  It  has  grown  to  this  size  by  its 
constant  motions  and  revolutions — by  attracting  and  holding  atom  after 
atom.  You  can  readily  see  this  globe  is  still  soft  and  warm.  Although 
it  has  grown  to  this  enormous  size,  it  has  become  a  little  harder  than  a 
ball  of  jelly :  it  is  now  about  the  consistency  of  an  apple,  and  very  much 
the  same  color  as  an  apple  without  its  skin;  its  own  motion,  weight,  and 
growth  has  hardened  it;  it  is  warm,  for  each  little  atom  still  holds  its 
central  magnetic  flame:  thus  the  cold,  translucent  matter  is  warmed 


PX£SS  NOTICES.  9 

throughout  all  this  great  mass;  it  bears  its  life,  growth,  and  heat  within 
it,  just  as  a  little  animal  does  when  it  grows  rapidly;  and  this  young  or 
primary  world  grows  very  rapidly.  It  feeds  and  grows  from  outside  sus 
tenance,  just  as  a  planet  or  animal  does.  It  constantly  gathers  atoms,  and 
appropriates  them  to  its  own  use;  the  "only  difference  being,  that,  like  a 
snow-ball,  it  gathers  as  it  rolls;  it  rolls  within  the  atomical  sea,  and  holds 
to  itself  every  atom  with  which  it  comes  in  contact.  But  it  only  gathers 
the  atoms  which  are  composed  of  magnetic  flame  and  translucent  matter; 
the  ethereal  and  germinal  sea  are  still  left  intact,  and  it  has  robbed  and 
appropriated  all  the  atoms  within  the  space  wherein  it  has  moved. 

"  In  this  way  it  creates  a  vast  orbit  for  itself,  for  it  is  still  to  roll  where 
it  can  gather  its  food;  it  shuns  that  part  of  the  sea  which  it  has  deprived 
of  its  atoms,  for  it  attracts  the  atoms,  and  the  intact  atomical  sea  attracts 
it :  this  is  the  manner  in  which  the  primary  worlds  create  their  own  orbits. 

"  At  length  this  immense  globe,  rolling  within  its  vast  orbit,  ceases  to 
grow.  It  has  reached  a  point  in  its  career  where  it  must  drop  a  portion 
of  its  weight ;  it  has  become  too  weighty  to  hold  itself  together  any 
longer. 

"  The  law  of  attraction  and  growth  ceases  with  it;  its  weight  and  rapid 
motion  cause  the  outer  surface  to  harden  still  more,  but  the  inner  part 
yet  remains  soft.  It  now  presents  more  the  appearance  of  an  orange 
with  its  rind,  the  harder  and  softer  parts  being  about  in  the  same  propor 
tion;  and  as  it  still  rapidly  revolves  within  its  orbit,  the  inner  part  gradu 
ally  becomes  loosened  from  the  rind.  As  the  inner  part  becomes  loose, 
the  motions  of  the  now  two  distinct  bodies  are  not  the  same;  the  inner 
part,  being  softer  and  warmer  than  the  rind,  by  its  more  rapid  motion 
constantly  drives  off  the  rind,  thus  causing  the  rind  to  crack  open;  and  as 
this  primary  world  has  but  two  motions  —  the  revolving  on  its  own  axis 
and  the  rolling  in  its  orbit,  it  has  become  elliptical,  like  an  egg,  and  thus 
the  shell  cracks  all  around  the  central  part. 

"  The  intact  globe  within  still  rolls  on,  and  for  a  certain  time  the  shell 
or  ring  is  still  carried  by  the  power  of  attraction  along  with  it.  But 
there  comes  a  time  when  the  ring,  ,by  its  own  weight  and  the  centrifugal 
motion  of  the  central  globe,  breaks  all  in  pieces  and  falls  away  from  the 
inner  globe.  The  inner  globe  escapes  entirely,  and  still  rolls  on  by 
itself." 


10  PX£SS  NOTICES. 

But  our  readers  must  get  the  book.  In  it  they  will  see  further  develop 
ment  of  von  HimmelPs  theory  of  soul-mating.  There  is  a  very  pretty 
love  romance  interwoven  with  the  novel  speculations  of  world-building. 
Altogether  the  author  has  added  to  his  reputation  by  this  last  work.  His 
first  work,  "  The  Discovered  Country,"  is  still  attracting  much  attention, 
and  drawing  many  readers.  There  is  a  refinement  of  thought  and  lan 
guage  which  is  gratifying,  especially  as  the  books  purport  to  be  written 
under  special  inspiration.  There  is  more  scholarship  and  polish  of  diction 
in  both  these  works  than  is  usually  found  in  mediumistic  productions. 

Novel  readers  will  here  find  a  fascinating  romance,  and  spiritual  philos 
ophy  will  find  some  very  new  speculations  on  the  nature  and  operations 
of  matter  and  force  which  we  have  not  space  to  admit. 

AL-CY-O-NE  (with  the  accent  on  cy) :  a  Spiritual  Journal;  issued  fort 
nightly,  20  numbers  a  year,  1st  and  I5th  of  the  month;  by  the  STAR 
PUBLISHING  COMPANY,  93  Sherman  Street,  Springfield,  Mass.  H. 
A.  BUDINGTON,  Editor. 

OCEANIDES. 

IF  anything  commendatory  were  needed  to  accompany  this  remarkable 
book  upon  its  introduction  to  the  great  reading  public,  the  fact  that  it  is 
from  the  pen  of  the  author  of  "The  Discovered  Country"  should  at  once 
gain  it  an  unqualified  passport  to  the  favorable  consideration  of  all  intel 
ligent,  serious,  and  thoughtful  readers. 

The  scope  of  the  book  is  limitless;  for  it  takes  us  through  that  "thin 
partition  which  separates  this  world  from  the  next,"  and  brings  us  face  to 
face  with  the  visible  aspects  and  seemingly  inscrutable  mysteries  of  the 
spirit- world.  The  dual  nature  of  "  Oceanides  "  will  give  it  a  powerful 
hold  upon  the  minds  of  its  readers.  The  episodes  that  are  essentially 
material,  are  sufficiently  interesting  and  exciting  to  enlist  the  sympathies 
of  the  more  literal  reader,  while  the  glowing  pictures  of  "the  world  be 
yond,"  and  of  the  nature  and  essence  of  things  in  the  infinite  universe  of 
which  our  earth  is  but  an  infinitesimal  atom,  fill  one  with  measureless 
wonder  and  amazement.  The  inception,  growth,  maturity,  and  gradual 
decadence,  and  ultimate  death  of  a  world  is  minutely  explained  upon  an 
apparently  reasonable  hypothesis,  and  in  such  a  vivid  manner  as  to  enchain 
the  entire  attention  of  the  reader  and  hold  it  to  the  end  of  the  volume. 

The  countless  readers  who  have  perused  with  delight  the  pages  of  "The 


PRESS  NOTICES.  II 

Discovered  Country  "  will  readily  recognize  its  grand  themes  and  their 
fuller  developments  in  "  Oceanides."  The  casual  reader  whose  only 
desire  is  to  be  entertained  for  the  moment,  will  be  loath  to  lay  aside  the 
book  until  he  has  read  every  word  of  it.  The  seeker  after  the  truths  of 
the  sublimest  phases  of  human  existence  in  this  world,  and  of  its  mysteri 
ous  and  invisible  connection  (except  to  the  eye  of  faith)  with  the  "life 
beyond,"  will  herein  find  the  fullest  consummation  of  his  most  ardent 
longings.  "  Oceanides  "  is  a  radically  pure  book,  the  chief  aim  of  which 
is  to  raise  humanity  to  the  highest  possible  condition  of  physical  and 
spiritual  estate.  —  The  Folio. 

OCEANIDES:    A   PSYCHICAL  NOVEL. 

LAST  year  we  had  "The  Discovered  Country,"  by  Ernst  von  Himmel, 
which  is  the  nom  de  guerre  of  a  gentleman  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  name. 
Indeed,  the  story  has  a  dual  authorship,  and  seems  to  come  chiefly  from 
an  occult  source,  as  the  name  "Himmel"  suggests.  The  book  is  well 
printed,  and  is  published  by  the  Himmel  Company,  Hotel  Boylston, 
Boston. 

It  deals  with  the  unseen,  with  the  origin  of  worlds  and  creatures.  It 
represents  every  human  germ  as  originally  double,  by-sexual.  These 
halves  are  separated  in  the  earth-form,  and  unless  each  half  finds  its 
proper  fellow  in  marriage  the  union  is  incomplete  and  inharmonious;  just 
as  each  section  in  a  whole  orchard  of  halved  apples  must  find  its  proper 
mate,  or  else  that  particular  apple  is  not  complete. 

The  father  of  Ernst  is  in  the  other  world.  He  guides  his  musical  son 
by  means  of  dreamy,  spiritual  intercourse,  having  in  mind  specially  the 
clearance  of  the  way  between  Ernst  and  the  heroine,  who  is  Ernst's  true 
counterpart.  It  happens  that  Oceanides  is  a  worthless  scamp's  wife,  whose 
attempts  on  her  life  and  peace  would  do  credit  to  a  modern  English  melo 
drama,  and  are  very  interesting.  By  unseen  help  she  is  saved  from  her 
lord's  malice,  and  at  last  becomes  Ernst's  helpmeet. 

Not  only  is  the  story  interesting,  but  there  is  much  originality  in  the 
treatment  of  the  subjects  involved.  No  one  should  fail  to  read  it  who 
cherishes  a  doubting  faith  in  the  unseen.  —American  Art  Journal. 

THERE  will  yet  come  to  the  world,  and  that  we  predict  right  speedily,  a 
revelation  from  the  realm  of  spirit  so  clear  and  so  convincing  that  error's 


12  PRESS  NOTICES. 

misty  cobwebs  will  be  quickly  brushed  aside,  and  the  eager,  longing  ones 
on  earth  who  are  seeking  through  spiritualism  a  fuller  revelation  than  any 
that  has  yet  been  given,  will  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  at  the  utter 
goodness  of  the  great  glad  tidings  soon  to  be  revealed. 

W.  J.  COLVILLE. 

Two  years  ago  a  little  volume  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-three  pages, 
bound  in  blue,  appeared  under  the  title  "  The  Discovered  Country."  The 
author's  name  was  given  as  Ernst  von  Himmel.  As  its  name  would  im 
ply,  it  is  a  story  of  transcendental  motive,  in  which,  in  a  certain  way, 
Plato's  idealism  is  quite  cleverly  adapted  to  a  conception  of  the  life  that 
succeeds  to  the  material  life  on  earth.  Last  year  the  some  author  followed 
it  up  with  another  entitled  "  Oceanides:  a  Psychical  Novel,"  which  was 
dedicated  to  the  Reverend  Minot  J.  Savage.  Mr.  Savage,  in  a  private 
letter,  declared  that  "The  Discovered  Country"  was  a  "most  striking 
work,  and  well  worthy  the  study  of  all  those  interested  in  the  great  psychic 
problems." 

It  gradually  became  known  that  the  author  was  Mr.  Carlyle  Petersilea, 
who  has  been  for  many  years  associated  with  the  highest  interests  of  music 
in  Boston.  Mr.  Petersilea  was  born  in  Boston  in  January,  1844.  His 
father,  a  pupil  of  the  great  Hummel,  was  the  author  of  an  admirable  sys 
tem  of  pianoforte  instruction,  and  began  to  teach  his  son  when  the  latter 
was  eight  years  old.  In  1862  the  boy  was  sent  to  the  famous  Leipzig 
Conservatorium,  where  he  graduated  three  years  later,  receiving  a  special 
testimonial  of  his  brilliant  talents  signed  by  eleven  of  the  professors,  in 
cluding  Moscheles,  Reinecke,  Richter,  and  was  besides  granted  the  prize 
of  the  Helbig  fund.  A  year  or  two  later  he  made  his  first  public  appear 
ance  in  Boston  at  a  concert  of  the  Musical  Union.  He  afterwards  estab 
lished  a  Conservatory  of  Music  here,  at  which  he  instructed  many  pupils, 
who  have  since  become  distinguished.  In  1884  Mr.  Petersilea  was  in 
Europe,  and  passed  the  spring  in  Weimar,  where  he  saw  a  great  deal  of 
the  famous  Liszt.  On  one  of  the  walls  of  his  delightful  rooms,  which 
look  out  across  the  roof  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Union  building 
toward  the  harbor,  hangs  a  large  photograph  of  Liszt  seated]  in  his  study 
in  the  "  Hofgaertnerel,"  and  this  bears  an  autograph  dedication  which  is 
extremely  interesting.  Mr.  Petersilea  is  his  own  publisher,  and  he  has 
several  other  stories  which  he  hopes  ultimately  to  bring  out.  Such  enter- 


PA'£SS  NOTICES.  13 

prises  are  rather  unusual  on  the  part  of  men  devoted  to  music,  and  cer 
tainly  it  deserves  commemoration.  —  JOHN  WANAMAKER,  Philadelphia. 
—  Book  News. 

NEW   BOOKS. 

Two  remarkable  new  books  have  recently  appeared  from  the  pen  of  a 
new  writer,  Ernst  von  Himmel,  and  are  published  by  the  Ernst  von 
Ilimmel  Publishing  Company  of  Boston.  They  are  "The  Discovered 
Country,"  and  "Oceanides:  a  Psychical  Novel."  They  are  similar  in 
conception;  both  treat  a  unique  subject,  that  now,  more  than  ever  before, 
engages  the  attention  of  a  large  number  of  people,  and  each  is  written  in 
a  fresh,  glowing,  and  charming  style. 

In  "The  Discovered  Country,"  the  author  has  followed  the  line  of 
speculation  traced  by  Elizabeth  Stuart  Phelps  in  her  "  Gates  Ajar;  "but 
the  story  is  in  no  sense  an  imitation,  for  he  has  not  only  clarified  and 
amplified  her  idea,  but  succeeded  in  giving  a  stronger  color  of  reality  and 
lifelike  tone,  so  to  speak,  to  Miss  Phelps's  somewhat  pale  and  shadowy 
realm  beyond  the  gates.  The  story  consists  of  a  series  of  pictures  and 
conversations  embodying  the  author's  idea  of  the  spiritual  life,  and  they 
are  presented  in  a  beautiful  and  attractive  style.  In  a  word,  the  realm 
depicted  is  one  of  transcendental  beauty  and  bliss;  the  life  a  continuation 
of  the  earthly  one,  but  purged  of  all  its  gross  and  materialistic  features. 
"  The  Discovered  Country  "  will  be  a  solace  to  a  host  of^  readers  whose 
spiritual  ideas  are  still  vague  and  unsatisfactory  to  themselves. 

In  "  Oceanides  "  the  author  has  followed  the  same  vein  of  thought;  the 
spiritual  idea  is  still  the  dominating  one,  though  the  story  more  closely 
concerns  the  matter-of-fact  affairs  of  the  material  world.  Nevertheless, 
it  is  spiritualistic  throughout  ;  but  the  author  expressVy  disclaims  sympathy 
with  the  gross  and  materialistic  phenomena  that  a  pseudo-spiritualism  in 
later  days  professes  to  exhibit.  The  ideal,  spiritual  marriage  is  the  domi 
nant  theme  of  the  work  ;  and  the  struggles,  experiences,  and  spiritual 
growth  of  "Oceanides,"  wedded  at  first  to  a  vicious  and  evil-minded 
brute,  in  attaining  that  ideal,  is  the  motive  of  the  narrative,  which  is  told 
in  a  refined  and  consistent  style.  —  Norwich  (Conn.}  Evening  Record, 
January  26, 


"OCEANIDES  "  is  a  very  extraordinary  tale:   it  boldly  touches  the  mar 
riage  question,  and  explains  the  theory  of  spiritual  counterparts  in  a  very 


14  PRESS  NOTICES. 

interesting  and  graphic  biography  of  a  noble  but  greatly  afflicted  woman. 
This  volume  is  dedicated  to  Rev.  M.  J.  Savage,  the  widely  respected  pas 
tor  of  the  Church  of  the  Unity,  Boston.  We  should  much  like  to  read 
his  opinion  regarding  the  peculiar  scientific  and  religious  as  well  as 
advanced  social  theories  with  which  the  book  abounds.  As  a  novel  it 
deserves  to  rank  almost  among  the  masterpieces  of  the  greatest  writers 
of  fiction,  which,  after  all,  is  only  fact  disguised.  The  plot  is  a  very 
strong  one,  and  all  the  characters  are  well  sustained  ;  it  could  be  success 
fully  dramatized,  as  it  abounds  in  striking  and  even  sensational  incident. 
The  writing  is  smooth,  forcible,  eloquent,  and,  at  times,  heroic  and  sub 
lime.  It  abounds  from  first  to  last  in  intense  human  interest,  and  may 
well  become  a  standard  classic.  It  compares  favorably  with  many  of  the 
stirring  novels  of  Balzac  and  other  vivid  authors  who  carry  their  readers 
along  with  them  from  beginning  to  end  by  the  double  force  of  a  pecu 
liarly  intricate  plot  and  unusually  successful  handling  of  good  and  copious 
material. 

"The  Discovered  Country"  we  have  only  seen  in  handsome  cloth 
binding,  price  $1.00.  "  Oceanides,"  in  strong  paper  cover  (418  pages), 
can  be  obtained  for  50  cents,  or  we  can  send  it  with  one  year's  subscription 
to  Problem  of  Life,  for  $1.35. 

The  Problem  of  Life :  a  monthly  magazine,  devoted  to  Spiritual 
Science  and  Philosophy  as  related  to  Universal  Human  Progress.  W.  J. 
Colville,  Editor.  Frank  F.  Lovell  &  Company,  142  &  144  Worth  Street, 
New  York. 

AT  the  present  time  every  thoughtful  person  is  to  some  extent  or  other 
interested  in  the  powers  invisible,  which  we  often  feel  without  understand 
ing,  and  which  seem  so  mysterious  in  their  workings.  The  greatest 
problem  to  humanity — life  —  is  invisible  to  mortal  eye,  though  its  mani 
festations  prove  its  presence;  and  any  one  who  speaks  intelligently  of 
phases  out  of  the'  average  experience  is  always  listened  to  with  inter 
est,  even  if  not  fully  agreed  with.  "The  Discovered  Country,"  by 
Carlyle  Petersilea,  is  one  of  the  notable  and  strong  books  of  the  day,  and 
since  its  publication  has  been  widely  read,  and  with  the  warmest  of  interest. 
"Oceanides"  is  his  most  recent  volume :  "a  psychical  novel."  Both 
show  scientific  understanding,  broad  thought,  and  genuinely  individual 
methods  of  treatment.  They  are  both  works  that  will  repay  reading, 
winning  interest  and  arousing  thought. —  The  Boston  Times. 


PRESS  NOTICES.  15 


OCEANIDES. 

CARLYLE  PETERSILEA,  who  writes  under  the  nom  de  plume  of  Ernst 
von  Himmel,  is  the  author  of  a  new  psychical  novel  entitled  "  Oceanides." 
The  contents  of  this  book,  the  writer  claims,  were  communicated  to  him 
by  the  spirit  of  his  father.  The  volume  is  dedicated  to  the  Rev.  M.  J. 
Savage,  widely  known  as  the  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Unity,  Boston. 

The  book  is  fascinating  from  beginning  to  end.  The  story  is  remark 
ably  well  written,  and,  while  not  entirely  an  ideal  story,  the  writer,  in 
touching  upon  the  marriage  question,  gives  an  ideal  theory  of  spiritual 
counterparts. 

Oceanides,  the  heroine  of  the  story,  is  supposed  to  represent  to  the 
mind  of  the  writer  the  highest  type  of  womanhood.  This  is  a  question 
upon  which  readers  will  disagree,  and  gives  an  interesting  question  for 
discussion.  All  will  agree,  however,  that  it  is  a  strong  character,  well 
sustained  throughout  the  book,  and  that  the  influence  of  the  production  is 
moral,  elevating,  and  optimistic. 

The  author  of  the  book  is  a  professor  of  music,  and  has  a  music  school 
at  62  Boylston  Street,  Boston.  The  book  is  published  by  the  Ernst  von 
Himmel  Publishing  Company,  Hotel  Boylston,  Boston.  —  The  Michigan 
Patriot. 

OCEANIDES. 

SOMETHING  more  than  a  year  ago  a  novel  made  its  appearance  with  the 
name  of  Ernst  voi>,Himmel  given  as  its  author,  entitled  "The  Discovered 
Country,"  which  was  a  very  remarkable  story  for  its  high  flights  of  imagina- 
nation  and  its  psychic  character.  Another  story  of  a  somewhat  similar 
character,  by  the  same  author,  and  which  he  terms  a  psychical  novel,  has 
just  been  published,  entitled  "Oceanides."  Ernst  von  Himmel  is  the 
hero  of  the  story,  and  his  psychical  experiences  are  of  the  most  marvel 
lous  character.  His  spirit  is  lured  from  his  body  by  some  very  lovely 
spirits  who  have  passed  from  this  life,  and  who  take  it  in  charge,  and 
show  it  many  of  the  glories  and  mysteries  of  the  spirit-world.  The  same 
ideas  of  natural  selection  by  the  celestials  that  were  given  in  "The  Dis 
covered  Country  "  are  very  enticingly  presented  in  this  story.  There  is 
more  exciting  interest  in  "Oceanides,"  which  is  the  name  of  the  heroine, 
a  beautiful  young  married  woman,  with  whom  Ernst  falls  desperately  in 


1  6  PRESS  NOTICES. 

love,  and  who  is  living  a  life  of  direst  misery  with  a  brutal  husband,  who 
several  times  tries  to  murder  his  gentle  and  faithful  wife,  but  is  thwarted 
by  the  influence  of  guardian  spirits,  who  are  Ernst's  dear  friends.  The 
story  is  decidedly  ingenious,  and  has  an  added  interest  in  showing  to 
what  a  height  the  imagination  can  soar.  —  Home  Journal,  Sept.  27, 


ANY  one  of  a  progressive  turn  of  mind  will  find  a  very  interesting  vol 
ume  in  Carlyle  Petersilea's  "The  Discovered  Country,"  a  response  to 
HowelPs  "  Undiscovered  Country."  Its  logical  reasoning  is  both  inter 
esting  and  helpful,  and  affords  food  for  thought.  Mr.  Petersilea  has  also 
written  a  psychical  novel  called  "  Oceanides,"  full  of  advanced  theory 
and  enlightening  argument.  —  The  Boston  Times. 

OCEANIDES. 

ERNST  VON  HIMMEL,  author  of  "  The  Discovered  Country,"  which  ap 
peared  some  time  ago,  and  was  noticed  in  these  columns  as  distinctly 
worthy  of  note  for  its  system  of  spiritual  belief  and  the  mode  of  its  ex 
pression,  has  recently  published  another  work  entitled  "  Oceanides,"  a 
psychical  novel.  Its  aim  is  to  show  the  meaning  of  love,  its  spiritual 
nature,  power,  and  law;  which  it  accomplishes  in  a  manner  noticeable 
greatly  for  the  vivid  reality  and  presentness,  so  to  speak,  of  the  scenes 
and  situations  which  embody  its  meanings. 

The  two  individuals  who  are  the  central  figures  of  this  love-story  are 
characters  of  strong  worth  and  possibilities,  endowed  with  spiritual  per 
ceptions  of  unusual  power.  At  the  opening  of  the  story  they  seem  two 
very  separate  individuals  ;  and,  judged  by  ordinary  appearances,  likely  to 
remain  so.  But,  through  the  working  of  spiritual  law,  whose  method  is 
in  this  instance  revealed  to  the  consciousness  of  the  hero  of  the  story,  the 
law  of  love,  which  makes  two  souls  one  in  their  identity,  whether  sepa 
rate  or  apart  in  appearance,  leads  them  one  toward  the  other  with  the 
invincibleness  of  an  absolute  power. 

The  story  deals  with  mighty  truths,  and,  in  all  essential  aspects,  in  a 
manner  showing  deep  logical  understanding  and  high,  uplifting  perception. 
The  explanation  of  the  formation  of  worlds  is  full  of  mighty  force  and 
suggestiveness,  and  a  description  showing  potent  energy.  The  whole 
treatise  is  redolent  of  profound  thought  and  experience,  and  is  delightful 
for  the  vividness  of  its  manner  of  portrayal.  There  are  points  with  which 


PRESS  NOTICES.  I/ 

we  should  take  issue,  but  the  central  theme  is  full  of  the  deepest  of  truths, 
which  are  worked  out  in  an  ever-broadening  process  of  beautiful,  vitalized 
thought.  The  whole  story  is  symbolical  in  a  strong  degree,  true  in  all 
the  essentials  of  Truth,  and  beautiful  in  ways  too  numerous  to  specify. 

The  open,  easy,  natural  way  in  which  spiritual  truths  are  presented  as 
living,  ordinary  facts,  contrasts  well  and  in  forceful  aspect  the  freedom  of 
spirit,  and  the  limits  of  materiality.  Indeed,  one  of  its  strongest  features 
is  the  clear  way  in  which  causes  and  effects  are  contrasted,  reconciled,  and 
explained,  through  the  relations  of  spirit  and  body.  "  Oceanides  "  covers 
so  broad  a  ground  as  to  be  able  only  to  touch  on  certain  principles  of  life, 
which  are  nevertheless  so  referred  to  as  to  sufficiently  indicate  their  position 
in  the  author's  thought. 

The  vitalities  of  life,  which  he  treats  very  strongly,  are  shown  as  having 
their  foundation  in  love  itself  (considered  in  the  highest,  deepest,  most 
spiritual  sense),  and  his  theory  is  full  of  potentiality.  Music  is  amoving 
factor  in  this  narrative,  and  is  beautifully  treated,  illustrated,  and  made 
vital.  In  certain  ways  "  Oceanides  "  is  curious  and  unique;  but  it  always 
radiates  vitality,  arouses  thought,  calls  forth  the  perceptions,  and  appeals 
to  the  conscious  truths  within  us  all,  as  well  as  to  tinge  with  conscious 
ness  certain  spiritual  sensibilities  which  were  but  sleeping. 

"OcEAN'iDES  "  is  a  psychical  novel,  and  therefore,  fortunately  perhaps, 
does  not  come  under  the  ordinary  standards  of  notice  as  a  work  of  fiction. 
The  author  of  "The  Discovered  Country  "  continues  to  lift  the  veil.  In 
this  book,  by  means  of  spirit  guides,  he  reveals  the  mystery  of  world  for 
mations  and  the  yet  deeper  secrets  of  the  still  mystic  human  nature. 
The  influence  of  the  unseen  forces  on  the  human  life  are  here  suggested 
with  consummate  force,  and  the  theory  that  true  marriage  is  a  union  only 
of  absolute  affinities  is  emphasized.  In  the  book  the  story  is  of  a  man 
in  love  with  a  married  woman  who  is  allied  to  a  drunken  and  murderous 
brute.  She  remains  proof  to  all  persuasion  to  leave  her  husband,  and 
only  consents  on  condition  that  the  legal  separation  shall  be  consummated 
before  the  hero  receives  his  reward  by  her  hand  in  marriage.  It  is  shown 
also  that  if  mistakes  in  marriage  are  made  here  they  are  corrected  in  the 
other  world,  where  each  soul  finds  its  true  mate,  and  can  affiliate  with  no 
other.  The  work  will  be  read  by  all  who  are  curious  and  like  the  bold 
speculative  quality  which  distinguishes  this  line  of  investigation.  — Boston 
Globe. 


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